Together While Apart
by Mooncat99
Summary: How Logan and Rory deal with him in London. Rogan. Logan's POV.
1. Sex On The Beach

Title: Together While Apart

Author: Mooncat

Rating: K+

Summary: How Logan and Rory deal with being apart. ROGAN.

Warnings: A little warning: This is a mushy story. Just so you're warned. Also, there will be a bit of light action in it, nothing graphic though I think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls and am just borrowing the characters.

Copyright: Sarah Diaz 2006/2007

Spoilers: 7.02, the rest is pure coincidence.

Thanks: A big 'THANK YOU!' to Emma, who was so kind to volunteer to beta for me. You did great work!

_**Together While Apart**_

**Chapter 1: Sex on the beach**

"Hey Ace," Logan answered his phone with a smile.

"Am I interrupting a meeting to plan to take over the world?"

Logan chuckled. "Nope, you got two minutes until it starts."

"Oh good, I won't take long anyway. I just wanted to thank you for never having sex on the beach with me."

Logan blinked. Really, he should be used by now to the strange, seemingly no making sense at all comments that came constantly out of the mouth of his girlfriend and yet she managed to surprise him time and time again. "Uh… my pleasure?" he slowly answered, hesitating. He knew it was a bad idea to even ask, but… "Ace?"

"Yeah, I mean, we did a few – adventurous things," she replied and Logan had to suppress a groan when he remembered those adventures and his body automatically reacted to those truly memorable memories. "But never sex on the beach, despite the times we were at Martha's or somewhere else on a beach. So… thank you."

Slowly, Logan shook his head in order to try to clear his head. "Ace, have you ever had sex on the beach? It sucks. Unless you have it in the water but that usually gets too cold very fast or if you have a blanket the size of Yale's library – and even then the sand will probably find its way to places it should never be."

She laughed. "So I've heard and that's why I suddenly felt the need to call and thank you for sparing me this experience because really, if I'd ever had had sex on the beach, then it would have been with you."

"Glad to hear that," Logan answered sarcastically. "Now, will I ever get an explanation or should I just store that in that Tokyo-size closet in my head filled with things I'll never understand and probably, that's for the best?"

"Tokyo-size, huh?" There was a slight pause in which Logan could almost see her shrug. "Oh well, it's Lane. She got home from her honeymoon in Mexico and explained long and detailed to me how her mother had always been right and every other woman, me included, have lied to her about the great experience that sex is and just how wonderful it is. She turned into Mel Gibson and now thinks it's one vast conspiracy and is perfectly fine with never having sex again for the rest of her life."

"Ah, let me guess? Sex on the beach?" Logan smirked, starting to understand finally.

"You nail it, Buster."

"I hope you told that poor girl to give it a try again."

"I did, but she won't believe me. I'm part of the conspiracy."

There was a knock at his door and his assistant Bobby popped her head in. "Sir? The meeting," she mouthed. He nodded at her and signaled that he'd be there in a minute. The door closed behind her again.

"Sorry Ace, gotta go," he sighed.

"Okay. Call me later?"

"Absolutely. Oh and Ace? Perhaps you can convince her… tell her about that time in New York, the elevator ride?"

"Are you kidding? She'll never let Zach touch her again. I think she definitely needs to first try it the good old-fashion way… in a bed."

"But it was fantastic," Logan pouted.

"Goodbye Logan!" Rory laughed and the line went dead.

Still grinning, Logan grabbed his briefcase and hurried out of his office.

* * *

When he called later that night he expected anything but the tear-stained, muffled voice of Rory that answered him with a weak "Yeah".

"Rory?" he asked, instantly worried.

"Logan," she sobbed and her cries cut into his heart like hot, sharp blades.

"Rory, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

She didn't answer, just kept crying and it was making Logan insane. More than anything, he wanted to be there and be able to take her into his arms, ran his hand over her back, soothe her. But he was thousands of miles away and could do nothing. Nothing… but try to get her to talk to him.

"Rory, baby, please, tell me what happened," he pleaded, pacing in his living room.

After another long moment, her sobs finally quieted down enough for her to start to speak. "I… it's just… when I got home after having talked to you Mom… Mom surprised me with having turned the whole house into Asia, because I'm so disappointed we couldn't go on our trip and she wanted to cheer me up and it did, because it was nice and helped a little and the dessert sushi was so great but then Dad called and, and…" she sniffled. "She slept with him, Logan. She broke up with Luke and she went to sleep with Dad. Why would she do that? She loved Luke, she was happy with him, I know that, but the minute she broke up she goes to Dad and sleeps with him." Her voice strengthened with anger. "But why am I surprised? That's her deal. Every time she's finally happy with a guy, she does ruin it by going to Dad, or call him or sleep with him or something like that. But this time it's different. It's Luke, Logan! I love Luke. He was more of a father to me than Dad ever was and now he knows and he went and punched Dad and I… I just…" A sob once again broke out of her. "I don't know how to deal with this. Am I supposed to never talk to Luke again? I can't do that! And I'm so mad at Mom, because finally, everything was going good between me and Dad and Dad and Mom but now she slept with him and I know either Dad will break her heart, again, or Mom will break his, again, and Luke's already broken and I'm stuck in the middle of it and forced to choose sides I don't want to choose and having to deal with Mom heartbroken and Dad disappointed and not able to go to Luke and I just don't want to do either of that and on top of it all I _miss_ you so much and, and, and…" her voice died down and she went back to crying.

"Oh Rory," Logan murmured and sat down onto his couch, heavily. He wasn't sure if he was following all of it exactly, but he thought he got the most important things. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she told him.

No. But that didn't make it better that the girl he loved was crying and hurt and he couldn't be there for her.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm sorry about your mom and Luke and I'm sorry about your mom and your dad but I think there's nothing you can do. You have to let them sort things out and just be there for them, even if it sucks for you."

"I know," she sighed and Logan was relieved to hear that she had stopped crying. "I fought with Mom, you know. I told her exactly what I thought about her sleeping with Dad. I… I was like a train ramming into her."

Logan cringed. He of all people knew how much she hated to fight with her mother. At least this time, they hadn't fought over him. "She'll understand."

She said nothing, but he felt her nod.

For a while, neither of them said anything, just drawing comfort from hearing the other breathing.

"Ace?" Logan eventually disturbed the silence. There was something that was bothering him.

"Hmm?"

"What's this about Asia?" he asked quietly.

"Oh Logan, just forget it. It's stupid. I should never have said anything," Rory quickly answered.

"Rory," Logan warned her, knowing that voice only too well. When she used this one it was anything but not important.

"Really, it's nothing. Hey, how was your day? Written anything Pulitzer worthy?"

Definitely important. "Rory, tell me," he told her, not having any of it.

"It's stupid," Rory said, sounding embarrassed and small.

"Doesn't matter. Tell me," Logan once again insisted, his voice soft though.

She sighed heavily. "I just… I knew it wasn't going to happen, but some silly part of me had still hoped that you'll find a way to get your father to at least agree to let us go and make our trip. Or that we'll sneak our way to Asia by, I don't know, maybe you writing a feature story about Asia, the corruption versus the tourism, the Bird Flu against the research and development of the pharmaceutical industry, something like that and I kept planning and hoping. Now it's definitely not going to happen and I have nothing to do all summer but miss you because I planned nothing else…and I'm pathetic."

His heart cringing, Logan shook his head. "No you're not. Never, Rory." He swallowed. "And I'm sorry for not being able to…"

"No Logan, you don't have to be sorry. This isn't your fault and it's my problem that I was stupid enough…" Rory interrupted him.

"Stop," Logan told her firmly. "It's Dad's fault, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed after a moment.

"You do know that I'd rather be in Asia with you now than here, playing the heir, right?" Logan asked, frowning.

"I know," she replied without hesitation, sighing.

"Good. But you should have told me, Rory," Logan told her.

"Whatever for? There was nothing you could do and I didn't want to dump my problems on you when you're trying to get your first job starting and kicking."

Logan shook his head. "That's not how it's going to work Rory. My job here is secondary. You're first, always. But I need you to tell me what's going on in your life. I hate not being there for you so please, don't make this worse by excluding me. I want this to work and I want you to tell me what you're feeling or thinking, just like you have before I had to go, so I can at least be there for you, like today, like right now."

"I… I'm sorry," Rory said, sounding honestly chagrined. "I… I want this to work too, you know."

"Then don't shut me out just because I'm a few thousands miles away," Logan said, trying to sound more lightly again, but not really managing it.

"Okay, I'll try to be better… but it goes both ways, you know?" Rory replied softly.

"Yeah, that's the idea," Logan nodded, smiling.

"So, how was your day, Honey?" Rory asked in an awfully cheery voice.

Grinning, Logan shook his head. But then he grew serious. "You okay now?"

"I'm with you, am I not?" she simply answered.

Once again, his heart skipped a beat, this time though in an entirely good way. "Just always think about the rocket, Ace," he told her, quietly.

"It's standing right beside me, on my night table," she replied and he could hear the smile in her voice.

Logan nodded. "Good."

* * *

"Lane's pregnant!"

"What?" Logan asked, perplexed.

"Lane. She's pregnant. She just told me. One single, crappy time and she's pregnant. She's so freaked out and I can't blame her, really," Rory elaborated.

"Oh…" Logan didn't really know what else to say. "Well, pass along my congratulations," he added after a moment.

"Are you serious? The mood she's in now she'll probably rip off my head if I come with your congratulations," Ace snorted.

"And what a shame that would be," Logan laughed, shaking his head. "But seriously, why is she so freaked out? I mean, she's married at least and not alone."

"Wait, are you kidding me? She's twenty-two, works in a diner and lives in a two room apartment not only with Zack, but Brian as well. And she has the band. A pregnant drummer is not really that cool and I bet, bringing along a baby to gigs at two in the morning is frowned upon as well. And really Logan, she may be married but that doesn't mean she has to reproduce on the spot." She stopped and when she continued, she had that dangerous undertone in her voice men have feared since the dawn of humanity. "Wait, do you want to tell me that you expect your wife to get pregnant within the first year?"

"Whoa, that's not what I've said, Ace," Logan was quick to retreat.

"But you've implied that you're okay with that. Marry and pop out kids, that's it, isn't it?" Her voice got even more dangerous.

Panicked, Logan looked around his office for help. No such luck. "No, of course not," he finally said. But then, he made the fatal mistake to continue. "But I do see kids in the picture at one point and too old parents are just uncool so one should perhaps not wait too long."

"Oh, is that so? How charming. But you know, it's no big deal for you guys after all. I mean, you have a little fun and then nine months later your wife bears your child and perhaps then you'll get to do a little here and there as well," she replied, her voice clipped and sharp.

"Come on, Ace…" Logan tried to amend things.

But she wasn't finished yet. "Perhaps we want to make a career first and a pregnant oversea correspondent just doesn't do the trick. Having a baby means for a woman to make a pause, perhaps not have to stop work altogether but it surely won't be jetting through the world for hot stories either."

For a moment, Logan's heart stopped beating. Then, he started to grin. "Rory, listen. I do not expect to marry and have children right away. Really not. But I think it's fair to think about it after five, seven years." He took a deep breathe, barely believing that he was having this conversation, let alone on the phone. "I know how much you want to be an overseas correspondent. I would never expect you to cut down your dreams."

Silence, but for the loud beating of his heart which he was pretty sure was even audible in Stars Hollow.

"Oh," Rory finally muttered softly.

This wasn't the first time a possible permanent future for them had come up between them. It had, a few times, even before last Valentine's Day and later, since his accident, again. Never addressed directly, it was mostly just casual comments here and there on both sides. Sometimes it had been subtle, sometimes rather candid, like this one. It scared the shit out of Logan, but at the same time, it also comforted him, made him feel all warm. Happy.

"You know, I thought about Asia," he abruptly changed the topic.

"Logan, no. Really, it's okay," she immediately protested.

Logan ignored it. "What do you think about making that trip next summer? Right after your graduation, we party and then get into the next plane to Japan or wherever we want to start our tour."

"If we plan it right now, I'm sure we can manage to actually go. I'll clear my schedule for two, three months, no matter what, and you can look for jobs, starting in the fall," Logan tried to convince her. "This way, your planning wasn't wasted, because we just postponed it, plus, you'll have a whole year to learn all you can about the countries in Asia, their history and culture, their politics, the local specialties and the most important phrases in each language, because I tell you, I will rely solely on you to make sure that I'm not going to eat something I really don't want to eat, if I know what it is or not. So… What do you think? Raincheck?"

"You really think we can make it?" Rory asked after a moment and the hope in her voice made him smile.

"I know we'll make it. We just have to want it both," he confirmed.

"Well… Then, I guess I should get those books and lists out of the garbage, huh?"

"Definitely," Logan laughed.

"Okay, but I warn you, mister. You don't promise Asia to a girl and disappoint her twice."

"I'll remember that," Logan promised smiling, but earnestly.

"You better. Ah, I see the garbage truck. I better hurry home and save those lists. Bye!"

"Call me later?"

"Do I love coffee?"

Chuckling, Logan hung up.

So far so good.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's note: Okay, this is a repost. The last time I posted this, I wasn't sure if I wanted to have this as part of my Different-Epos for the cover of Season 7 or if I wanted to go my own way after this episode. Well, they finally started with the last season in the German speaking TV channels and I recently watched this episode again and I suddenly knew at last, how I wanted to continue with this one. Knowing how wrong it went there at the end, I definitely want to have the seventh season going the way I would have liked as well - beside what I plan to do with my coverage of this season for the Different-Epos. So here it is again, slightly edited and followed up right with the second chapter. I'm writing on chapter five now and if all goes well, by the end of year, this story will be finished. I know there are still my other stories, and I'm working on them as well, but I found out that I first need to right the show's wrong before I can fully concentrate back on Different, Curveball and yeah, also Breaking Free. So I hope you'll enjoy my idea for the seventh season.)_


	2. Pencil You In

**Chapter 2: Pencil you in**

"I knew it," chuckled Logan.

"You knew what?" came Rory's voice a second later over the phone.

"That you went to campus hours ahead of your first class," Logan answered smiling.

A slight pause. "Who says I'm on campus?"

Logan snorted. "Please, Ace. It's the first day of your last year at college. Most likely even the first day of your very last school year at all. Of course you're already at campus. Besides, it halls, Ace, so don't try to deny it."

Silence.

He grinned, but decided to let it be at that. "So tell me: in which room have you settled down for your 'new school year ritual'?"

She sighed, defeated. "Auburn Hall. I've got English Literature as my first course."

"Ah, lucky you," he reminisced. "The best and most beautiful hall on the entire campus for the start of your last year. How'd you managed that?"

"By buying off Mrs. Jolter with coffee and muffins from Luke's when she made the schedule," Rory answered back with smile in her voice.

Logan did a double take, unsure if she was telling the truth or pulling his leg. The first thought was ridiculous, but so was the last one. "Serious?"

"Wouldn't you want to know?" she teased, definitely grinning, he was sure of that.

"Come on, Ace!" he pleaded.

But instead, she changed topic. "How's business life?"

He grimaced. "It's ok. Boring. But not so bad as I've feared. I'd just wished this job wasn't thousands miles away from home."

She sighed. "That makes two of us." She was silent for a moment, then she chuckled. "This hall bears quite some memories. Somehow, you're starring in most of them."

Logan raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair to enjoy the memories of the good old days. He grinned dirtily. "I better be. I bet you never had better classroom sex than that time when we broke into Auburn Hall and had a little fun on Bell's beloved Victorian desk."

"You mean the time _you_ broke into the classroom," Rory corrected him. "I still don't know how you ever convinced me to go along with your crazy plan. If they'd have caught us..."

"But they didn't, did they?" Logan pointed out.

"Just dumb luck," muttered Rory.

"Not exactly," grinned Logan.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, most definitely frowning.

His grin widened. "Wouldn't you want to know?"

"Hey! That's not fair!" she protested.

"Sorry, Ace. I love you, but it's still quid pro quo in this world, Babe," Logan replied smugly.

He imagined her eyes slightly narrowing. "You can be glad that you're in London right now, mister. Or you would so pay for that comment," she told him dryly.

His smile deepened. "Why? For me saying that I love you or for me being so generous to let you benefit from my great wisdom and teaching you yet another lesson of life?"

"I wish I could still deny you sex," she growled and he laughed out loud.

God, he missed her, missed to simply be with her.

"You know what? I wished you could still do that too," he sighed ruefully. He sure did. Two and a half months since he had last seen her. Two and a half long months since the last time he had made love to her. Oh yeah, he wished he was still back home and able to have sex with her on a regular basis.

"I miss you," she said quietly.

He nodded. "I miss you too," he said as quietly.

Across the ocean, Rory breathed deeply, and then continued more cheerfully. "Well, you know, talking about memories? Remember that time when you jerk busted my class with that ridiculous prank, you and the stooges staged here."

"Please, Ace, that was anything but ridiculous. It was marvelous!" Logan corrected her, offended.

"Oh, so Colin bursting in here pleading that I take him back, and then you following him declaring you and I belong together and you starting a fight with Colin, and then, Finn, wearing a ridiculous costume, joining you idiots to supposedly breakup the fight is_ marvelous_? Hmm, I should check up that word in the dictionary. I must have gotten it all wrong my whole life," she replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, you should do that. Clearly you got it all wrong," Logan agreed with a grin.

"Come on. Even you've got to admit that that one hadn't been one of your brightest ideas!" The tone she used told him that she must have rolled her eyes.

"Au contraire, Ace, it's been definitely my best idea ever," Logan contradicted her.

She snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Oh yeah, it was," he once again contradicted her, nodding. "After all, that way I made sure that all the other guys on campus knew to keep their hands off you because you were mine. And I told the truth back then. We do belong together, don't we?"

Again, there was a brief moment of silence. Logan hoped that was because he had rendered her speechless rather than that she counted to ten before she gave him hell for his macho routine. But it _was_ the truth.

"I'll let you pass the macho bullshit this time," she finally answered dryly. "And yeah, I like to think that we actually do," she added more seriously, making Logan's heart beat faster. "Though, I have no idea how that ever happened."

"Yeah, who would imagine me and a bookworm who is an honest, hardworking girl? Finn and Colin are still laughing their heads off," Logan smiled.

"Or me and an arrogant, obnoxious, spoiled, rich, privileged, irresponsible guy who believes he owns the world and everything has to go his way and who lives to party," she answered back, but she smiled as well.

"And yet we are a good match, we complete each other," he pointed out.

"Apparently so. Guess, differences really attract each other," she agreed.

"Or we just have the right mixture between being alike and being different to mesmerize and fascinate each other," Logan mused. "After all, we both love literature, are intelligent, interested in the news world, are both exceptionally good looking, we both love sarcasm and most importantly, we've got fantastic sex going on for us."

"Of course the sex is the most important thing," she replied sarcastically.

"You bet it is," he nodded vehemently. "Well, it's good that we can talk as well," he relented after a moment.

Probably, their verbal interaction, their banter was even more important. He had had great sex before meeting his Ace. But he never had met a girl who didn't bore him within a few weeks maximum and that had definitely more to do with her wit and intelligence than with her beauty. And that was probably why sex with her was so mind blowing. Not that he was ever going to admit that out loud. No, he would never admit that, not in front of guys, especially not in front of Finn or Colin. He had been teased enough already about how whipped he was by his Ace. Not that he minded it much. He loved being with Rory. And his friends had yet to have a relationship that lasted longer than a couple of weeks with someone. If they ever did, they would see the reason why he was so relaxed being in a serious relationship that was heading fast forward to 'forever until death do us apart'. Still, he was a guy after all.

"Glad to hear," she said, then hesitated. "Speaking of that, don't you have a meeting to attend or something?"

He raised an eyebrow, thrown off by that comment. "Do I bore you?"

"No, not at all, of course not, it's just..." she hastily denied.

"It's just what, Rory?" he asked, frowning.

But she just ignored it. "Nothing, really."

His frown deepened. "Rory, do we really always have to have this conversation? That's just a waste of time. Now tell me."

She sighed deeply. "Well, it's just that usually you don't have much time to talk unless you call from your apartment, just a quick call between meetings here or there. It's too early for you to already be home and you're calling from your office, I can see that. I'm just surprised you haven't had to rush somewhere yet."

It was Logan's turn to be quiet for a moment, his frown deepening even further, trying to remember his calls with his Ace. He guessed she was right. His day usually was very packed, he had seen to that. The more work he had to do, the less he missed his Ace, almost forgetting that he couldn't go home to Rory because she was an ocean away. Also he figured that the better he showed that he _could_ work and be responsible when he wanted to, the bigger were his chances that his father would see that and let him come back home, home to Rory. Plus, that way he didn't have to think all the time about not being able to have sex at the moment. He _really_ liked having sex. Especially, when it was actually making love to his Ace. And he had to admit that while it had been okay so far, it really got hard lately to be abstinent. He hadn't gone that long without sex since... well, since he had had his first time not quite ten years ago. It wasn't easy to suddenly go dry in that aspect.

He sighed. "Sorry, Ace. I guess I really don't have that much time, usually."

"You don't have to be sorry, Logan. You've got work to do, I understand," she replied though. "Besides, now that school started again, I won't have that much time either."

He grimaced. Yeah, knowing his Ace, that was definite. And seeing as he was five hours ahead, by the time he could leave the office to go home and have time to speak with her, she would probably be right in the thick of things. Perhaps he needed to calculate time to call her first thing in the morning from now on, though that again was a little bit late for his Ace. Still the best solution though.

God, he hated this distance between them.

Again, he sighed. "I will really try to call you as often as I can, but I _do_ have a lot to do. It's better to bury myself in work than to have too much time to miss you and dwell on the fact that I can't be with you," he admitted, honestly. But she needed to know this.

"I know that feeling," answered Rory, sighing deeply.

"The only reason why I can talk this long now is because I penciled you in my calendar," he explained finally and had to chuckle at that. "I knew you would go to campus ahead of time, being all alone in some room or lecture hall with a lot of spare time to talk."

She chuckled as well. "Really? You penciled me in?"

"You bet I did," he nodded.

"Hmm, that's an idea. Perhaps, I should pencil you in my schedule as well," she replied.

"That would be awfully nice of you, Ace," he nodded, rolling his eyes.

He could hear the rustling of paper, and then she spoke again. "Okay, so how about this? I'll call you around one pm everyday, you should be finished by that time, right? And I usually have lunch break then, except for Mondays, when we have staff meetings before publication at the Yale Daily News."

"You're serious," he realized, his eyes widening. He hadn't meant it quite like that.

"Of course I am. You know me. I need my lists and schedules. So, back to our plan… are you usually up at five am?" she wanted to know.

"Yeah," he answered shortly. Lately that was more or less the time he got up for an early start in the office.

"Good, then why don't you call me around then? It would be midnight, a bit late, but then, I seldom go to bed earlier than that anyway, so I'm sure we can make some time for our call then as well," she suggested. When Logan didn't answer immediately, she spoke again, a bit unsure. "Logan?"

"I don't know, Ace, don't you think that's a bit too much?" he finally voiced his concerns.

But she didn't catch on. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "This scheduling for our calls… I can't help but think that planning when to have our phone conversations will be a bit boring in time."

"Oh..." She was silent, probably thinking. "Perhaps, but Logan, we're both busy, plus we have those five-hour time difference. I've seen it with Mom in my first year at college. We didn't plan at all and we ended up in missing each other's phone calls, leaving tons of voice messages, and not see each other for weeks. There's no way we can see each other until Christmas and I don't want to risk missing our calls as well," she reasoned. "I know you don't like too strict schedules, and I didn't say we can't phone each other outside the appointed time, but at least this way we'll have two times a day when we know we can have at least some contact with each other."

Turning his eyes to his window, he thought over what Rory had said. Hearing it that way…

"I need those calls, Logan," Rory continued, her voice soft. "They're the only thing making this whole mess bearable."

The longing in her voice got to Logan more than her gentle pleading. Suddenly, he had to fight the urge to damn it all to hell and just jump into the next plane home to her. Shit. This really sucked.

"I know, Rory. It's not as if I want to or can go without our calls either," he replied quietly. "And I guess you're right, we should make sure we'll have time for them every day, so let's try it with that schedule."

"Thanks, Logan," she said, obviously relieved.

Thinking, he sat up and turned towards his computer, opened up his calendar and started to click and tap. "And in that case, I'd like you to send me your schedule for this semester, Ace, so I can see when I have a chance to reach you for a quick chat, okay?" He tapped a little more, and then saved the adjustment he had just made. "As for you, I've just given you access to my calendar, so you can see my schedule as well. I always keep it up to date. This way, we can make sure that we have included each other in our schedules under the circumstances, don't you think so as well?"

She laughed. "Yeah, pretty much. Good idea by the way. I'll email you my schedule as soon as I can."

"You do that," he nodded. "Oh, and Ace?"

"Hmm?"

"You do know that you can reach me any time, don't you?" he asked, seriously. "No matter I'm doing, even if I'M in a meeting, I always have my private cell phone with me, the number of which is only known to you, Honor, Finn and Colin. And my staff knows that your calls have to be put through immediately."

"I know, but I don't want to interrupt anything important," she replied. "And, really? You've got a private phone just for us?"

Logan shrugged. "I had to get a new one for business, now that I'm here in UK. But I kept the old one and told everyone else the new number, so this way, I have my own personal red phone now."

"Smooth," she commented dryly. "What about your parents? They only know the new one as well?"

"Please..." he answered, offended.

"Right, sorry. Gotta say, Huntzberger, I like the thought of having my very own private number to reach you," she told him with a definite smile in her voice.

"Yeah, it's a bit Bond like, don't you think?" he smirked.

"Absolutely. Now all that's missing is a watch that got GPS on me," she agreed.

His eyes lit up. "Hmm, now that you mention it..."

"Don't you dare, Logan!" she threatened.

"But you'd get one with GPS on me as well, promise!" he reasoned with her, his smirk widening.

"Logan..."

"Just kidding, Ace," he finally gave up, grinning. "Though it's not that bad an idea."

"Bye, Logan," she said briskly.

"Hey! No need to hang up on me now!" he protested.

"Well, I can see that you're lost in your typical wet dream about gadgets and it will take a while for you to come out of that. Besides, I'm no longer alone. Two other students have just arrived to settle themselves down a bit earlier," she simply answered.

"I'm not lost in gadgets dream," he denied. "Let alone wet ones. My wet ones are solely reserved for you, Ace."

"Uh, yeah, right," she replied in a hushed voice and he just knew she was blushing. He grinned. Several thousand miles away and he could still make her blush. Good. "I really should hang up now. Bye, Logan. I'll call you later. And thanks. I love you."

He wasn't quite ready to let her go yet, but he knew better than to protest. Besides, the warm feeling in his heart would last for a while. "I love you too. Bye, Ace. Show them, baby."

Laughing, she ended the call. With a sigh he put down his phone, couldn't help but smile happily though. They may be separated by distance, but he was sure that together they would struggle and fight against whatever that will separate them in other ways.

After all, they belonged together.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: So, as you can see, it's once again solely Logan's POV. And big part of the story will be their phone calls. But don't worry. There will be a chapter here and there where there's more than phone calls. Hope you like it, so far. Chapter 3 follows soon.)_


	3. Withdrawal

**Chapter 3: Withdrawal **

Tired, Logan closed the door; glad to be finally home, safe in his own four walls, far away from meetings, boring conversations or temptations. With a sigh of utter relief, he poured himself a double scotch and downed it.

Oh yeah, that was what he had needed.

Pouring himself another drink, he went over to his couch and sat down, heavily. Taking another long sip, he put his glass beside him and leaned back, closing his eyes.

And the day had started so well. He had finished his first big business deal that would bring the Huntzberger Media Corporation millions of dollars by opening up the firm to the internet…making sure the Huntzberger Group will be a big part of the ecommerce. He and his team had worked hard and relentless on bringing that deal home and today, the final negotiations had been made and the contract had been signed. Damn, the rush he had had while signing the documents had been almost indescribable, hardly believing that this was _his_ deal, all his own efforts that now would be a great benefit for the firm. Nothing could have ruined the day.

Or so he had thought.

Before he had agreed to go celebrate this success with his team.

Scowling, he grabbed his drink to take another long swallow, the smooth liquid suddenly tasting bitter.

His phone rang. Rory. Hesitating, he slowly reached for the phone and finally took the call. He wasn't sure if it was wise to take it and perhaps risk everything that was important to him. But he needed to hear her voice. Needed to talk to her.

"Hey," he answered, trying to sound as cheerful as he had been before he had agreed to go out and celebrate.

"What's wrong?" Of course, she wasn't fooled, not even for a second. He should have known it.

"Nothing," he still tried to avoid her.

No such luck. "Logan."

This time, he just sighed. He didn't want to talk about it. He couldn't. Not without risking his relationship with her. Or at least damaging it.

"Logan, please, talk to me," she pleaded quietly.

He shook his head. "Rory..."

"You said it yourself, Logan. This will only work if we don't stop talking to each other," she insisted. "Now tell me. What happened? You were so happy earlier when we talked that you were downright giddy."

For a moment, he contemplated refusing an answer yet again, but then he finally gave in. She was right. He guessed, for the long term it was better to speak up now, admit what had happened this night.

"The team and I went out to celebrate," he said, a bit shortly.

"Okay... Why not after all? You guys deserved it after all the effort you put into that deal," she replied slowly.

"We went to eat in one of those expensive but really good French restaurants. Then we moved over to a bar. It was great at first," he simply continued. "It's been a while since I was last out, celebrating, not since leaving the States, really." Leaving you, he thought, but didn't say it out loud.

"And then?" she wanted to know.

He sighed. "Then this woman came on to me. Offered me a drink, letting me have a nice view of her cleavage." Why the hell was he telling this Rory? Was he crazy?

"Oh..." Rory slowly said. "I see." Her voice chilled. "And you slept with her," she stated tonelessly.

His head snapped up as his eyes widened. "What? Fuck, no, Rory! What do you think of me? Of course I didn't sleep with her!" he protested vehemently. Given their history he should probably not take offense that she automatically jumped to such conclusions, it still hurt though. He really had thought that they were past this by now. "I'd never cheat on you, Ace. Not again," he said with slight hesitation. Even after all that time he still didn't feel like he had cheated on Rory. But he knew her opinion on this matter only too well. After all, he had almost lost her over that. He shook his head. "I love you. I'm not risking losing you again that easily, Rory."

He could hear her deep, relieved sigh. "Then where's the problem? If you didn't sleep with her..."

"It's not that, Ace," he sighed. "It's just - Well, you know, when she made her move on me, she pressed herself at me, trying to kiss me. I pushed her away, naturally, but..."

When he didn't continue, Rory urged him on. "But what?"

Logan took another sip, and then mumbled: "My body sort of reacted to the proximity of that girl."

Silence. Then: "Reacted? In what way?" she demanded to know.

"I... well, you see... I..." he broke off, shaking his head at his own embarrassment.

"What, Logan? And since when are you so prissy about this?" Rory asked, puzzled.

"I got a hard on, okay?" he snapped. "You happy now?"

Once again, heavy silence.

"Oh," she finally said.

Just that. Nothing else.

Sitting up, Logan ruffled his hair, nervous. "Please say something, Ace."

"I don't know what to say, Logan," she sighed, an edge in her voice he hated. "What do you want me to say? Great for you? Too bad? This happens?"

"I don't know," he relented, again running his hand through his hair. Why had he even picked up the phone? Why had he been so stupid to talk to _her_ about this, of all people? He should never have said anything. Nothing really had happened after all. And still... he had this strange urge to come completely clean with Rory and she deserved an explanation. "Look, Ace, there's something you need to know… this woman, I never felt even the slightest interest in her. Not in anyone else. I get hit on, sometimes, but it does nothing to me other than make me miss you more. Tonight... I... I didn't get a hard on because of her - it's just been so long, Rory, and damn it, I miss having sex. Then tonight suddenly, there was this female body getting all close and I just, reacted. But nothing happened, I swear. I declined her offer and then took off and came home."

"But then why are you so upset over this, Logan?" Rory insisted. "This isn't like you."

No, this was not him. He wasn't sure why this had upset him so much. Why he was so disgusted over the whole incident. "It's just… I don't want you to doubt me, Ace. I want you to trust me. You know we don't have the best history in that regard and with me so far away, I guess I just don't want you to jump to conclusions that could threaten our relationship," he slowly said, trying to put in words what he was feeling. "I love you, Rory, and the only one I want to be with is you. Really. You've got to believe me here."

She didn't answer immediately, leaving Logan in a small hell. "Who says I don't believe you, Logan?" she finally asked.

He frowned. "No one… It's just with what had happened in the past and now this..."

Rory sighed. "Okay, Logan, let's get something straight here, what happened in the past is just that, the past. You've changed since then, I've changed and most importantly, our relationship has changed big time since then. Before we broke up, we were just a normal young couple, being together for the moment but both of us not overly committed to go long term. That changed once we got back together. Our relationship has been deepening, evolving, right?"

Logan nodded halfheartedly. "Yeah, but then..."

"I know, I know, the bridesmaids... Look, I'll never be happy about them; it will always sting a little to know that you went and did all these girls right after we separated. But..." she broke off for a moment, searching for words. "I believe that you really thought we were broken up. And knowing you, I think I can even understand a little bit why you went and had sex with those girls. But it's not important anymore, I know that. When you had that accident..." her voice trailed off, thick with emotion.

"Rory," he murmured, soothingly.

She took a deep breath. "When I got the call from Finn and Colin... when I raced to New York to get to you and they made me wait and wait, not telling me anything and having no idea if you were even alive... I... I..." she needed another moment before she could continue and Logan gripped his phone, hard. Times like these were the most unbearable to be so far away from her. "I realized that no matter what, I love you. Actually, I've already realized that a bit earlier, but in the face of possibly losing you for good, I grew aware of just _how_ deep my feelings for you are and how much you've already become a vital part of my life. I'm not sure I want to live without you ever. Or even _can_ live without you at all," she added quietly.

"Rory..." It was his turn to have a voice thick with emotions.

But Rory interrupted him before he could say anything else. "No, let me finish this, please. We never talked about this, but I think you should know this. Then, when you came home from the hospital, you were so - different. You were so much calmer. So much more settled. So much more content. And I fell harder in love with you more than ever. I know you want to be in London no more than I want you to be there. Yet you went and made the best thing out of it, a good thing almost. Do you realize that we talk more now than we ever did before, not just bantering and flirt talk, but real talk, like this one?" she asked. "Before, you always were a bit closed off, even with me. But now, you're so open, Logan, and you have no idea how much I appreciate that. I have the feeling that I can talk with you about anything, everything and I know you're there to listen if I need you to, even with you being on another continent. We are so open with one another that you can talk to me about another woman turning you on." She snorted. "Now, that's perhaps not exactly what I like to hear, but I'm still glad that you've told me. And for the record, I _do_ believe you that it's just been a simple reaction and nothing else."

"Really?" he asked doubtfully. There was more he had to say, much, much more, but he'd come to that later on. First things first.

"Really," she assured impatiently, and then chuckled. "You seem to forget that I'm your girlfriend. No one knows better than I do just how reactive that body of yours is, Huntzberger."

"But..."

"But what? So you had a hard on after a hot girl got all close to you. After not having had sex in over three months. Jeez, I know I'm a bit prude, but I do know that you're just a guy after all. As long as nothing else happened, I can live with that," she told him. "And I do believe that nothing else happened. Because I trust you, Logan. And because I know that you love me and that once you commit yourself to something, you stick to it and you have committed yourself to me, to us. You've proved that a few times now, especially with the rocket you gave me."

He swallowed and closed his eyes. God... he didn't deserve this girl. But he'd be damned if he ever let her go again. For her, for this, he would fight to death, he knew that without doubt.

"Logan? You still there?" Rory called out.

He took a deep, deep breath. "Yeah, Ace, I'm here. I love you."

"I know," she replied quietly.

"And what you just told me, it means a lot to me, especially that you trust me this much," he continued.

"You left me no choice," she simply answered.

"I don't think many would agree with you on that, especially not your friends and family," he contradicted her.

"Maybe. But then, they don't know you. Not the real you. They never did," she said. "If they did, they wouldn't doubt you either."

Logan shook his head. "I'm not so sure about that."

"But I am," Rory stated firmly. "Now stop dwelling in self doubts. That's not you either. I fell for you because of your unbelievable self confidence that definitely borders on arrogance among other things. So please knock it off, okay, Huntzberger?"

He laughed and shook his head. "You're something else, Ace."

"Now you're fishing for compliments," was her dry reply.

He smiled. "Busted."

"Of course," she said confidently. "So are we finished with this conversation now?"

Logan straightened. "In a minute. First, there are some things that I want to tell you."

"Logan, that's not necessary. I told you..." She must have rolled her eyes, he just knew it.

Shaking his head, he interrupted her. "No, Ace, it's not about that. You've just said a few things that I would like to comment on. You're right, we never really talked about that time and I need you to know a few things from my side now."

"Okay," she slowly said.

"First of all, the bridesmaids. Yes, I still don't think I cheated on you because in my book, we were broken up. But, that's not what I want to talk about. I want you to understand why I did that," he said, then broke-off, searching for words. This wasn't easy. "When we had that fight and were over, it hurt, Rory. It really hurt badly. And I had trouble believing that it could hurt so much. I had never realized that you have warmed you way into my heart and that losing you after only a short time together would have such an impact on me, messing me up like it did. I never dealt with pain, Rory. I couldn't deal with it, I wanted it to stop. So I thought that I'd simply so back to my old ways, back to meaningless sex where my heart would never be hurt ever again. The thing is, it didn't work. I said yes to the first girl who offered herself to me. One of Honor's stupid friends at a prep meeting for the wedding…and I slept with her. And it was awful. Simply awful. But, I didn't understand, I thought it must have been the girl. So I went to the next one. It was even worse. And, worse again when I tried it with yet another girl. With the last one, it didn't work at all. I finally had to admit to myself that it wasn't the girls, but it was me. I realized that is sucked because I didn't really want to be with any of them, didn't want to have sex with any of them, let alone for any of them to touch me…that all I _really_ wanted was _you_. Simply you. I wanted my Ace back. I wanted our relationship back and I wanted to be able to make love to you again. Oh yeah, I finally realized why everything was so much better with you, Rory." He smiled ruefully. "It's probably not the best way to realize that I am in love with you, but that's how it happened. I stopped sleeping around even stopped going out and instead I thought of ways to get you back. Then I heard that you were going back to Yale. And I came chasing after you, pestering you, until you agreed to give me another chance to be with you.

Silence.

"Ace? You still with me?" he finally asked worried. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so frank, so candid.

"Yeah, I'm here. It's just a bit …startling to hear the whole story," Rory answered with hesitation.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I knew you wouldn't like the details, but you deserved an explanation. I realized pretty soon how stupid I was to go sleeping around like that. And I knew if you ever learned of that that I would be in trouble. That's why I never said a word in the beginning. And once we were back together for good, I more or less forgot about them anyway. I really had no idea that those stupid girls would go and tell you all about our one night stands or I would have warned you. I didn't want you to know at all, but if you had to, I definitely would have told you myself and not have you found out the way you did. I'm really sorry for that."

"I know," she sighed to his relief. "It took a while, but I realized eventually that you really hadn't remembered those girls anymore. Your history with girls never was very bright. You just were like that with them."

"It's not something I'm proud of, Rory. But, I have you now, so I hopefully never have to go back to those ways." Logan sighed. "I was so glad when you came back home with me, after you learned of the bridesmaids," he then continued, thinking it was best to just move on and not dwell too long on those damn bridesmaids. "But then you were so cold, so distant. You closed me off completely and I didn't know what to do. I tried to get through to you, but you turned me down each time. Please never do that to me again, Ace. I can deal with you being spitting mad, but you just giving me the cold shoulder? That's not something I know how to deal with. So I avoided it by burying myself in the planning of our last LDB event. When I left for South America, I just wanted to get away for a while, clear my head. And when I made that jump it was also sort of a childish way to spite you, because I knew you didn't want me to take that jump. But I never thought that anything could actually happen. Really not. Or I would never have gone through with it."

"You better not," she muffled.

"When I realized that something was wrong when I couldn't open the damn parachute... I got the scare of my life. And in those few seconds when I fell to what seemed to be my certain death, there was only one thought I had…you, Rory. I was so sorry for everything that happened, so sorry for disappointing you." He was quiet for a moment…thinking back to that fall…everything happening so fast and at the same time feeling like a lifetime had gone by in those few seconds. Suddenly restless, he got up and started to pace. "Then I managed to open the parachute and all I could think of then was… if I survived, I just wanted to resolve our problems and get past them. That's how far I came before I hit the ground and everything went black." Once again he broke off, trying to give an accurate description of the blur of events that occurred. "I don't know exactly what happened next, mostly because I was out of it. But, I still knew that at one point that you were there, waiting for me to wake up. I don't know how …it's not as if I heard you talking or could feel you holding my hand or something like that… I just knew you were there. And it was with this knowledge that I stopped drifting and started fighting to wake up in order to come back to you."

"Oh Logan..."

"And once I was awake, I didn't care about seeing anyone but you. Finn, Colin, Honor, my parents…they didn't matter, only you," he told her simply, walking into his bedroom. "You said I was more settled and content after my accident and it's true. It's cliché, but it is true…something like that happens, in the face of death so to speak, you get your priorities pretty straight. And while I didn't exactly regret my life so far, I did become aware that there are only two things in my life that are important to me for the future: one, I realized that I do want the newspaper business for me. It's not just that I was born into it, I like it. I love to be at the pulse of the world, I love to write and I love to be in the thick of the news business. Before you came along, I forgot about this completely under the pressure of my family but your enthusiasm for journalism was kind of infectious, contagious and I started to remember the thrill of this business that I always loved."

His restlessness dissipating, he sat down on his bed.

"I'm glad to hear that. Because it would be a shame for you to not be in the news business. You're a natural for it," Rory said, her voice trying to go for normal, but Logan wasn't fooled. He could hear the held back emotion in it. "You... you said there were two things?" she asked then, almost timidly.

He smiled, reaching over to pull open the top drawer of his night table. "You, Rory. Simply you. And you're way at the top of that very short list."

She needed a moment to answer, but when she did, her voice was very soft and full of emotion and love. "Good to know that we're on the same page then."

"Yeah," he answered quietly, nodding, and stared at the small black velvet box in his hand, stroking over it. He sure hoped it. Even though he knew that he probably was already a page ahead of her. But he hoped with all his being that she wasn't far behind and would soon catch up with him.

"I guess we should have talked about this sooner after all, huh? It sure would have saved me some doubts," she sighed after another long moment of silence which said a lot.

Logan shrugged. "I think we weren't ready before." Then he frowned. "And what doubts?"

"Oh, nothing, really. It's just that after you've left I wasn't so sure where exactly we stood, I mean if we were still together or not and so on. Not until I got the real meaning of the rocket," she replied, waving it away.

He mulled over that for a moment, then shook his head. "I knew you didn't get it right away when I called you from the airport. You just were too vague about it," he said, smiling, and put the box back into the drawer, closing it carefully. "And your call later sure ratted you out."

"Yeah well, the important thing is that I did get it after all, don't you think so too?" She didn't wait for an answer. "So... now tell me what you're wearing."

His thoughts came to a complete stop. "What?"

"That's how people usually start phone sex, don't they? They want to know what the other is wearing," she just said pragmatically though. "So what are you wearing? Not too much I hope. Because I'm stark naked and as you said, it's been a long time. I'm not in the mood for slow and sensual. I need fast, hard and mind blowing."

Jesus!

"Phone sex?" he managed to gargle as he shifted uncomfortably as his body reacted immediately to her voice and the images it provided him with.

"Yep," she told him confidently once again though. "I can't have you walking around London having a hard on every time a girl gets too close to you, now can I? They could get the wrong idea with time. Now, the way I see it, you're obviously in withdrawal. While we can't do the real deal, nobody says I can't give you a little bit of methadone so to speak. So phone sex it is. I'm new to this, but I'm sure you can help me along if I get stuck, can't you?" she asked innocently. Too innocently. Damn this girl. But God, he loved her. "Now where was I? Oh yeah! So, I hope you're out of your jacket already because I'm going to rip your shirt off your body now so I can touch that nice chest of yours and attack your nipples with my mouth. Careful though, I'll use my teeth just a little bit."

"Jesus," he breathed and closed his eyes.

"Ah, you like that, don't you?" she teased, her voice suddenly all deep, silky and sexy. "Then you'll like even more that I'm unbuckling your belt right now to get rid of those offending pants. Too bad you didn't go commando today. I need you, now, and all this just takes too much time."

"Rory," he groaned and hastily did just what she had told him and got rid of his pants and underwear, they were getting too tight and uncomfortable with each syllable she breathed into his ear.

God, no way this was her first time on the phone.

Not that he complained.

Not at all.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! You make my day and give me just the right inspiration to continue writing. And I corrected the time difference. Sorry about that, I counted something wrong there - not to mention that Switzerland's an hour ahead of London. As promised, here the third chapter. Logan's a bit of a drama queen, but I really think that given his history with Rory, he'd be a bit nervous about her learning of what had happened in that bar. And finally a talk about his accident. I can't believe that they never gave us a real good talk about it! Anyway, hope you enjoyed it at Chapter 4's coming up soon as well.)_


	4. Surprise, Surprise

**Chapter 4: Surprise, Surprise!**

"Good morning, birthday kid!" Rory's cheerfully chirped into his ear.

Logan blinked, trying to wake up. "Ace?" he finally mumbled, still sleepy as hell.

"Sorry to wake you up, but I wanted to definitely be the first one to wish you happy birthday," she laughed. "Happy Birthday, Logan!"

Logan blinked again, trying to get his bearing. Something wasn't right here... his birthday... he frowned. "Uh, don't you have something confused here?" he asked slowly and rubbed at eyes. "It's you're birthday, Ace, not mine."

"Nope, not this time. I decided to switch with you," she answered though as if that was the most normal thing in the world.

"You can't just switch our birthdays, Ace," he told her, running a hand through his hair. Damn, it was too early for Gilmore logic.

"Of course you can. I just did. But if you've got trouble to grasp it, just look at it as my birthday wish. And my wish is for you to have birthday on this great day so I can spoil you for a change," she simply told him though.

He blinked. "Spoil _me_?" he repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yep, spoil you. I would have thought you know the concept of the saying that giving is the best gift ever, you with your constant surprises for those you love," she chuckled. "Now it's your turn to get surprises."

Shaking his head, he dared to glance at his clock. Ugh. "Uh, you do know that it's four o'clock in the morning here, do you?"

"Yep."

"And you do remember that Dad allowed me to have a free day today?" he asked, frowning.

"Yep."

"Aha. Just wanted to be sure," Logan grumbled and slid deeper into his covers again.

"Are those questions your way of telling me that you don't appreciate my calling you to be the first to greet you on your big day?" Rory asked, her voice taking on that tone that immediately warned Logan to be careful with his answer.

"It's not my big day," he tried to argue. "It's yours."

"Not this year, honey. Or at least not for us. For us, it's your birthday today and I'm the one leading you through your big day," she just said though. "And let me tell you…you can look forward to many things today. Especially to the many calls we'll have today. Or don't you want to talk to me?"

"Of course I do want to talk to you, I always love to talk to you," he hastily told her. "But it's up to me to call you, surprise you, be the birthday fairy," he pointed out.

"Tz, tz, tz, Logan, me thinks you're forgetting the Gilmore birthday rule," Rory chided him, sounding amused though.

"The what?" he asked, confused.

"The Gilmore birthday rule," she repeated patiently. "It says that what the birthday kid says is law, no protest allowed. So when I say that we switch birthdays, we switch birthdays and there's nothing you can say against it."

Logan shook his head. He loved his girlfriend, but jeez, sometimes she really was just… strange. Glancing at the clock once again, he sat up. "Technically, your birthday starts in an hour. So you're not yet the birthday kid which in turn means, what you say has no power whatsoever yet."

"Peanuts," she shrugged. "I switched my birthday with you… so, you being there five hours ahead, my birthday started when your day started."

"That's just ridiculous," he exclaimed exasperated, then regretted it on the spot. Shit.

"I think not," Rory just answered though, chuckling.

Logan frowned. That he had not expected. "Huh?"

Before Rory could say anything, his doorbell rang… loudly, annoyingly, insistently.

"Who the hell is that?" he wondered out loud.

Rory laughed. "Go open up, Logan."

Puzzled as hell, Logan heavily got up. "This better be good." Then a thought occurred to him. "This better be you, Ace," he corrected himself, being hopeful.

But Rory didn't give him an answer so all he could do was quicken his steps. By the time he unlocked the door and threw it open, he was at least wide awake.

"Mate!" was all the warning he got before he was enveloped in a overly excited brotherly hug by none other than Phineas Theverborough, better known as Finn, one of his best friends. Sometimes. "Happy Birthday, mate!"

"It's not my birthday!" he protested, rolling his eyes. "Uff, Finn, and even if it were, it would be nice to actually survive it!" Logan squeezed out.

Grinning, the Australian let go. "Of course it's your birthday. Rory switched with you, remember?" he just reminded him and strolled past him into Logan's apartment, giving a low whistle. "Nice apartment, if you want to go as a boring businessman."

"I _am_ a boring businessman now," Logan pointed out and, with a last wistful glance at the empty hallway, closed his door again.

"Papperlapap," Finn waved his comment away. "Now, weren't you on the phone, mate?"

Rory! Quickly, he held the phone back up to his ear. "Ace? You still there?"

"Sure. I take it Finn has arrived?" she replied with a smile in her voice.

"You can say that," Logan nodded, watching Finn strolling over to his bar and poured himself a drink. "I see you roped him into that crazy idea of yours."

"Of course. He loved the idea," Rory said dryly. "And please remind him that he still got to drive."

Still having no clue what's going on, Logan just shrugged and complied. "Ace says to remind you that you still have to drive."

Finn rolled his eyes. "I know, Mom! Jeez!" he shouted loud enough for Rory to hear.

"And tell him to move his ass. We've got a schedule to meet," she simply said matter-of-factly.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "We have?"

Before she could answer, his phone was suddenly taken out of his hand. "Love?" Finn said. "I know, I know, don't worry, we won't be late. Now I suggest you hang up because otherwise, we'll never get our boy in gears." He listened for a moment, then grinned dirtily and handed the phone back to Logan. "Make it quick. Otherwise, my balls are at stake. And you know how much I love my balls."

Giving Finn a look, Logan took back the phone. "Ace? What's going on?"

"Your birthday, honey," was Rory's simple answer. "Now just do as you're told and enjoy it. We'll talk again soon."

She hung up without another word.

"Okay, let's get you dressed," Finn nodded and out of nowhere a bag suddenly appeared and a pile of neatly folded clothes was thrown at Logan. "And hurry. Remember. My balls."

Staring from the phone in his hand to his friend, he sighed and turned away to go back into his bedroom. He knew better than to try and go against both Rory _and_ Finn.

So it looked as if it was his birthday today.

Surprise, surprise.

* * *

"And where are we going?" Logan asked about five minutes into the drive, trying to sound nonchalant.

Finn just grinned at him. "Now, where would be the fun if I'd told you that?"

Logan sighed, but didn't try to get more information on that matter. After all, if the roles were reversed, he wouldn't spill the beans either.

"So... Ace organized all this?" he instead asked, thinking that this shouldn't be classified information.

Finn smiled. "She's the mastermind behind today, yeah." He glanced at Logan. "Gotta say, Logan, you've got one hell of a girl there. Not that that is any news."

Logan couldn't help but smile and give a small nod in return. "I know," he answered softly. Then he changed the topic, not wanting to go any deeper than that. "It's been a while. How's life treating you?"

"Can't complain. It's a blast." Finn shrugged. "Though I miss college days. Life's far more interesting when you don't have to be at business meetings all the time," he added, making a face.

"Are you telling me?" Logan sighed. "At least you're in the art world. Full of crazy, unpredictable people. Me, I'm stuck with mostly boring, predictable businessmen, all the same."

"I thought you liked it?" Finn mentioned, throwing him another glance.

Logan shrugged. "I like the business. But I could do without the loads of business people I've got to meet with on a regular basis." He looked out of the window, not that there was much to be seen. It was still too dark for that. He sighed. "Or perhaps the loneliness here in London just gets to me. Frankly said, I had enough of being apart from Ace. And I miss you guys as well."

"We sure miss you too, mate," Finn nodded. "It's only half the fun without you around." He waited a beat. "And that girl of yours misses you the most."

At that, Logan looked back at him. "Do you guys meet occasionally?" he asked, curious. He and Ace talked a lot, but he had noticed lately that she constantly avoided talking much about her social life. A remark about Paris here and there, Lane and the townspeople when she had been in Stars Hollow and her mother and grandparents of course. But nothing much otherwise. Now, knowing his Ace, that could only mean two things, either, she didn't socialize much or she didn't want him to know whom she hang around with. The latter wasn't like her at all, so he would bet his money on the former.

"We've seen each other at a weekend or two when I was close to Yale," Finn answered and looked at Logan. "Why?"

Logan shook his head. "Nothing. She just doesn't seem to go out much." He made a face. "That's just wrong for your last college year."

"You do remember who we're talking about? Our love? Ms. Perfect Student?" Finn asked, throwing him an incredulous look.

"Oh, I remember but she is still Rory - she _does_ know how to party," Logan replied with a smile. "She sometimes just needs a little push."

"A good hard shove would rather ring true..." Finn's eyes lighted up with gleam. "Is that your way to tell me to see to it that our love doesn't turn into a widow before you even proposed, let alone left this realm?"

"Uh..." Logan reluctantly voiced. You had to be very careful in telling Finn to party up someone. "Well, perhaps you could just see to it that she gets out from time to time?" he asked, carefully. He really thought Rory needed to party more. This was her year. She shouldn't miss out on that just because her boyfriend wasn't there to party with her.

Finn bobbed his head, eagerly. "Now, that will be fun! Don't worry anymore, my mate, your maiden will no longer bury herself in work, not when I, Phineas Theverborough, have a word to say in that matter."

Warily, Logan nodded. "Just don't overdo it, okay?"

"Please," Finn just said though, offended.

Still wary, Logan bit his lip, all the while grinning though. He had a feeling he was going to hear from his Ace sooner or later about this. Oh well... what could she do after all with an ocean between them?

* * *

**US Air Force - Air Base**

Doubtful, Logan eyed the sign, and then looked at Finn for an explanation. The Australian just shook his head though, grinning, and moved up to the post, announcing them.

A minute later, a jeep drove up and a bulk of a man in uniform got out. "You're Logan Huntzberger?" he asked Logan gruffly.

Eying the holster at his belt and the thick muscles of the soldier, Logan quickly nodded. "Yes Sir."

The man gave a nod toward his jeep. "Get in."

Thinking it wise not to argue with an armed man, Logan got in without another word, Finn not far behind him. The drive was silent. Apparently, their chauffeur wasn't much the talking type. Soon, they stopped at a hangar and their guard dog led them to a bare room where he left them alone, closing the door behind him.

Logan honed immediately in on his friend. "Okay, what's going on here?" he demanded to know.

"That would be my question to answer, I think," a jovial voice came from the door where another man had shown up, his clothes casual, yet everything screamed soldier. "I'm Captain Hank Schultz. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you, Mr. Huntzberger."

Logan raised an eyebrow as he shook the offered hand. "Indeed? And may I ask from whom, Captain Schultz?"

"From your lovely girlfriend of course," Captain Schultz said, smiling. "Now, as to why you are here," he continued and opened the folder he carried with him. Out came a sealed envelope. "I've got orders to hand you this, with all the best wishes from Rory."

Now having both eyebrows up, Logan took the envelope. "You know Rory?" he asked, surprised. His Ace had never mentioned this Captain Schultz, or any soldier for that matter.

"I had the pleasure to meet her recently," Schultz nodded and grinned. "She's quite some lady. Not easy to turn down."

Logan said nothing. He wasn't sure if he liked this guy yet. Beside him, Finn snickered. Schultz' eyes turned to him. "Mr Theverborough I assume?" Finn nodded. "Rory warned me to not let you out of my sight."

Finn gave the Captain a lopsided grin. "I'm sure she didn't mean that literally. I'll be a good boy, promise. I'm always on my best behavior."

At that, Logan snorted.

Captain Schultz's mouth corners lifted. "We'll see. Now, Rory asked me to get you out of the room while your friend here opens this envelope." He stepped back. "Now, if you would?" He indicated to the door.

Finn whistled suggestively and slapped Logan's back on the way out. "Have fun," he wished and Captain Schultz nodded as well before he closed the door behind them.

Curious as hell, Logan looked down at the envelope for a moment before he finally opened it. Out came a DVD with a note 'Play me' attached to it. Shaking his head, Logan looked around and sure enough, there was a TV set with a DVD recorder.

A moment later, Rory appeared on the screen, sitting on their bed in their apartment, dressed like an army girl, smiling into the camera, her deep blue eyes sparkling with excitement. Logan felt a twitch in his heart at the sight of her. God, she was beautiful.

"Hey Logan. Once again, Happy Birthday!" She sang, beaming. "I guess you're puzzled out of your mind. Well, serves you right for all the times you went and kept me in the dark for a surprise of yours. Now it's my turn," she said, grinning smugly. "And you're in for quite a few surprises today, if I may say so. So, let's get to surprise number one, well, after the surprise that today is your birthday. First off, I'm sorry, but not even I could get you a short trip with the space shuttle. So I fear your big dream still has to wait until they offer those trips for a scandalous amount of money to moguls like you with way too much money at hand. But I still haven't forgotten that you made me watch _Top Gun_ at least fifteen times, let alone forced me to watch _Pensacola_, still gushing hours after over the jets."

"I didn't gush," Logan muttered, but his heart beat quickened. She wouldn't have...

"Yeah, you gushed," Rory nodded, giving him a look. "And don't interrupt me again. Well, I guess you realized by now why you're where you are. And yes, it's exactly what you think." She leaned forward, eager with excitement. "Captain Schultz will come back in a moment, bringing you your flight jumpsuit which you can keep by the way. And then he'll take you up for a ride in an F-22 RAPTOR, the hottest fighter jet the Air Force can offer you at the moment, as I've been told. You're going to fly at a speed of 1,140 miles per hour, cruise at a very high altitude, whatever that means and who knows, if you're a really good boy, maybe he'll even let you shoot down an empty barn."

Speechless, Logan stared at his girlfriend, his throat suddenly very thick. How the hell had she managed to arrange that? And that she had gone to all this trouble just for his birthday... Uh, yeah, or whatever...

"Do you like it?" She asked softly, leaning her head sideways. "I'm pretty sure you do. And no, I'm not going to tell you how I managed to arrange this. It will be my little secret. Now you should get ready. We'll talk later again, promise. Oh and Logan? Have fun!" she cheered and the DVD stopped playing.

He was tempted to play it again, but already, there was a knock and Schultz appeared again, the promised flight jumpsuit over his arm. "Here are your flight clothes. We're scheduled to go up in twenty minutes."

Still dazed, Logan nodded. Schultz just grinned and left again, leaving Logan to change, which he did in a hurry.

He couldn't wait to ride that Raptor.

* * *

"So how was it?" was the first thing Rory asked when Finn handed him his phone after he barely had gotten out of the Raptor.

He was silent for a second, trying to think of a way to describe the ride, then shook his head. "Indescribable, Ace. It was just... Wow..."

"Glad to hear that," she laughed.

"God, you should have been up there, Ace. You've never gotten such a rush in your life than when the plane fires up and goes straight up like a flash," he breathed, still in awe and on a high he didn't want to come down from anytime soon. "In seconds, you're above the clouds. And God, the maneuvers! Nothing can ever top that!"

"Really? Nothing?" she asked, still laughing.

He grinned. "Well, nothing with an engine that you can find down on the ground. There's one or two things I can think of that are as good though," he told her, dropping his voice and causing Finn to whistle suggestively.

"It's good that I'm in our bed then, I guess," Ace replied.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, interested.

"Hmm. But get your head out of the gutter. Your day isn't over yet," she told him. "And did he let you shoot down something?"

"You bet. And see? I've exactly trained all my life for that with my video games. I hit it on first try, a neat shot right out of the book," Logan showed off proudly. "Captain Schultz was very impressed. He suggested a career change for me. Thinks I would do good in the Air Force," he added with a grin.

"Don't you dare. You stay right where you are," Rory said, an edge in her voice.

He raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, Ace, now that I was up there I'm sure I want to have that feeling again."

"Then buy a bomber jet out of service, I'm sure you can manage that with your money and influence," Rory told him pragmatically. "I am not going to be an army widow. But it's your choice of course."

Grinning, Logan signaled Finn to stay back. "Just kidding, Ace. I may have been interested once but I've got something better now," he told her softly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And she just gave me the best birthday present ever," he nodded. "Well, if it actually were my birthday."

There was a moment of silence and when she spoke, her voice once again had that softness and sincerity in it. "I'm happy to hear that." She took a deep breath. "Besides, it _is_ your birthday, when will you finally get that? And as I've told you before, your birthday isn't over yet. Just keep close to Finn. He knows the program. I'm going to sleep now. But I'll call you in the morning." She continued. "Well, that would be in the afternoon for you."

He thought about protesting once again, but knew it was futile. So he just gave in. "All right. Thanks, Rory," he said sincerely. "And sweet dreams."

"I'll be dreaming of you," she replied. "I doubt they'll be _sweet_. Actually, that would be quite a disappointment."

Before he could answer, she had hung up. Grinning like an idiot, he shook his head and went back to Finn. He couldn't wait to see what more he was in for, today.

* * *

"Jeez, Huntzberger, you look as if you bathed in the honey pot," Colin McCrae greeted him. "Happy Birthday!"

"Colin!" Logan said surprised, giving his other best friend a brief hug. "So Rory got you roped into this as well?"

"Ever tried to say no to that woman?" Colin asked back, grimacing. "Not that she had much convincing to do. It was high time for the musketeers to meet again and the perfect opportunity to surprise you for a change. Usually, you're just too suspicious within the three months before and after your birthday to properly surprise you."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Colin, how many years have I been telling you not to call us the musketeers? It's just wrong for us."

"And how many times do I have to tell you that I can call us whatever I want?" Colin retorted back, glaring at Finn.

"As long as you insist on comparing us ridiculously to anyone. I don't care to what or to whom you compare yourself with, but when you drag me into it, I have a word to say about it," Finn pointed out. "So if you don't want to hear me go on and on, don't compare me to someone along with you."

Shaking his head, Logan rolled his eyes, grinning. He hadn't thought it possible, but he actually had missed his friends' constant banter. Still didn't mean he had to endure it for hours though. He knew those two. That could easily happen. "Uh guys? Why not letting me in as to why I'm here?" he asked the two, looking around, curiously. Finn had driven them to the port in Dover.

"And bust the surprise? I think not." Colin shook his head. "But you can follow me now and soon you'll see your next surprise."

"Then by all mean, lead the way," Logan sighed. He started to understand why other people got often so annoyed when he had surprised them. It could get a bit exasperating.

Five minutes later he stood at the end of a dock, staring at a beautiful sail boat, at least forty feet long, with exquisite wood work on deck.

"Happy Birthday!" cheered Finn and Colin.

He glanced at them, then back at the boat. "You're not saying..."

His friends though bobbed their heads up and down, grinning.

"But Rory could never..." he started to protest, but got interrupted by Colin.

"Actually, this is our part of your birthday present. Rory merely suggested this when we asked her what would blow you off the most and she included it into today's schedule," he said.

"Yeah. But this beautiful lady is our little present for you. Mine, Colin's and Honor's and Josh's as well. Originally, Honor would have been here as well, but they closed down the airport in LA because of bad weather. She'll call soon though," Finn added. "So, do you like it?"

"Do I like it? She's a dream!" Logan exclaimed and jumped down into the boat, his fingers sliding over the wood. "She must have cost a fortune. Are you guys crazy?"

Colin and Finn joined him, and Finn shrugged. "Yeah well, I figured I owe you one for the boat I sank. It wasn't my fault totally, though."

Colin shrugged as well. "Besides, it's not like we couldn't afford this. Let's face it, it's not quite small change for us, but it's not that much money either, especially not when the cost is split three ways."

"Not to mention that this way, we can look forward to a special birthday present from you as well," nodded Finn.

"You're unbelievable," Logan just said, shaking his head. Then he narrowed his eyes. "But why are you all putting so much effort into this birthday? This actually isn't even my real birthday. And if it were, it wouldn't even be my twenty-fifth one, which could explain such extravagant expenses."

"It's your birthday, buddy," Colin told him and shrugged again. "And I dunno... Rory kind of got us into the mood when she first approached us with her plans for today. Besides, with you stuck in London we thought it would be a good occasion to cheer you up a little."

"You're not actually complaining, are you?" Finn asked him, giving him a wounded look.

Logan held up his hands. "No, no, not at all. It's great, guys, really," he thanked them sincerely. "So, what's her name?"

"We don't know yet," Colin answered. "It's your boat. You'll give her a name."

"Exactly," Finn nodded and bent down to rummage through his bag he still had with him, coming up with a bottle of champagne. "We're all set for the big naming ceremony. Of course though, Colin and I have bet about the name, so do me a favor and let me win five grand, will you?"

Of course they made a bet on it. Logan grinned. "And what names have you bet on?"

"Uh uh, no telling until you decide," Colin through shook his head.

"Wouldn't want to influence you," Finn nodded.

"So, what will it be?" Colin asked, looking at him expectantly.

"Yeah, how will this beautiful lady be called?" Finn too urged him on.

Logan looked around the boat, then up to the sails, smiling. There wasn't a single doubt as to what to call this yacht. "What's there to ask? I'm going to call her Ace of course."

"Ha!" yelled Finn triumphantly, jumping up. "I knew it! Pay up, loser," he said, turning to Colin.

Grimacing, Colin got out a thick envelope. "Really Logan, I thought you had a little bit more of class for this lady."

Logan looked at him, his eyebrow raised. "And what was your guess then?"

"Lorelai of course," Colin answered, handing Finn the money.

"And I told you he wouldn't go for that. If at all, then Rory, but that's just too sweet a name for a sail boat like this one," Finn lectured his friend. "Ace though fits just perfectly."

"So would Lorelai. It's a good name for a boat as well," Colin pointed out.

Logan shook his head. "You two were pretty sure that I was going to call her after Rory, huh?"

Two set of eyes came to rest on him, incredulously. "Well, that was self explanatory, naturally," Finn snorted.

"Yeah, it's tradition to call your ship after your true love, if you've found her already and we all know that one Lorelai Leigh Gilmore is it for you," Colin nodded. "Which reminds me, do you have the ring already?"

"Yeah, do you?" Finn wanted to know as well.

Logan looked away, unsure if he wanted to talk about the ring in his night stand yet. His emotions over his decision were still pretty in jingles in face of the greatness of it. On the other hand, he also wanted to talk about it, nearly bursting with this secret and these were his best friends. Soon his best men, if everything went well.

Nodding slightly, he looked back at them, meeting their gazes. "Yeah," he confirmed quietly.

Though apparently expecting this answer, the eyes of his friends still bulged. "Wow," Colin breathed while Finn slapped him on his back. "Mate..."

Then they turned to each other. "I knew it!" they both said in unison before they turned back to Logan.

"When did you buy it?" Colin fired the first question.

"Do you have it with you? I want to see it!" Finn followed a heartbeat later.

"When are you going to ask her?" they both asked at the same time then.

Logan held up his hands again. "Slow down, guys!" he laughed. "First, I bought it the first week I was here in London, finding the ring in a little jewelry store in a side alley I accidently found. And no, it's at home, so I can't show you the ring right now. And I'm not sure yet. But soon," he finished, his voice growing soft.

"You're really going to pop the big question..." Colin shook his head. "You're the first of us to fall and truly in love with your future wife even. You give us all hope, man," he said, slapping Logan's back as well.

"Yeah. Though it still can wait a few years or a decade until I'm settling down like that," Finn nodded. "But for you, with our love, it's just the perfect time. When will you have the wedding? I need to keep my schedule free for it. And of course I'm going to be your best man, right?"

"I know him longer, _I_'m going to be the best man," Colin said, giving Finn a glare. "But otherwise he's right, the sooner we know the date, the sooner we can start with the planning."

Logan looked from one to the other. "First of all, she still has to say yes. So I really have no idea when we'll marry, if she says yes. This is not something I can decide on my own. And in case she does say yes, then both of you will be my best men, tradition be screwed. I'm not going to decide between my two best friends," he declared firmly.

"What are you talking about, of course she will say yes! No question about it," Finn replied, shaking his head. "Okay, two best men, fine with me. But I'm going to throw the bachelor party. And I'm going to hand you the rings at the wedding."

"No way! We're going to throw the party together and _I_'m going to give him the rings!" Colin protested.

Groaning, Logan shook his head. If Rory really said yes, they should just elope. That was the best idea. He had a feeling that those two idiots were going to be the most harmless of them lunatics. Once Honor and Emily Gilmore got wind of a wedding between him and Rory...

Oh yeah, eloping looked better and better.

* * *

"So how's your trip?"

Logan glanced at Finn and Colin, once again arguing, heaven knew over what this time. "The boat's wonderful. You couldn't wish for a better sail boat that size. She's perfect."

"But?" Rory asked knowingly.

"Would it be very bad if I just throw Finn and Colin overboard?" he asked with a sigh. "They are driving me crazy."

Rory laughed. "Tz, tz, Logan Huntzberger, is that any way to talk about your best friends?"

"Hey, I didn't say I'd just leave them to drown. I'd call the coast guard, promise," Logan defended himself.

"Sorry, Logan, you can't throw them overboard. You'll just have to tolerate them," his Ace chuckled.

"Why?" he whined.

"Because they're vital for your next surprise," she answered patiently.

"More surprises?" Logan shook his head. "Ace, I really appreciate the effort you and the guys made, but really, this is too much."

"Do you ever listen when I tell you that it's too much?" she just asked back though.

"No," he sighed. "But that's not the same thing."

"Oh yeah? Why not?" Rory asked, way too nicely.

Logan cursed himself and looked heavenwards for an answer that wouldn't get him into the dog house for a while. "Well, I'm the guy. I'm supposed to surprise you, not the other way around. And this must cost you a fortune. Besides, that flight this morning was more than enough."

"You never were chauvinistic, so don't start on me now. Secondly, it's not as expensive as you may think it is. I'm nowhere near the national deficit over this," she told him. "And it's enough once I say it's enough. Now, did you go to the cabin?"

"Just briefly. It's pretty cozy as far as I could see," he answered.

Rory laughed softly. "Yeah, that it is. Have you looked under the bed yet? The left drawer?"

"No, why?" he asked, frowning.

"Just do it. I've got to go to class now. Talk to you later," Rory told him cryptically and hung up on him once again.

Curious, Logan ordered Finn to the rudder and then went in search of Rory's next surprise. It didn't take him long to find it. A big box in green gift wrap was in the left drawer under the master bed. Never one to open his presents with much care, he tore the paper away and opened the box. Seconds later he held up a brown leather bomber jacket with a tiger printed on its back with the day's date over it. Grinning, he tried it on. It fit perfectly. Not quite his usual style, then again, this jacket wasn't made to fit his style. He loved it on the spot. Stroking over the soft leather, he couldn't help but smile affectionately. He could almost see how Rory had searched through every store until she found this jacket, remembering how he had told her once years ago that he'd like to have a jacket just like this one. Sliding his hands into the pockets, he felt a small card in one of them. Pulling it out, he read it.

_'After this morning, I guess you have the right to wear this jacket now._

_Just don't expect to be called Howling Mad from now on._

_Love. Ace.'_

Laughing quietly, Logan shook his head. "Rory Gilmore, you're something else. I'm never going to let go of you again if I can help it," he told his mirror image softly.

* * *

"Now... did you have a good birthday?" Rory asked hours later, once he was finally back home, long past midnight, after Finn and Colin had dragged him back to London, only to board a plane that flew them straight to Paris where Rory had gotten him front row tickets for a Depeche Mode concert, along with a backstage pass. Finn and Colin were still outside in his living room, extending the party, no longer very sober anymore. He hadn't drunken much though, feeling that Rory would call one last time today.

"Yeah... it was pretty good," Logan smiled, sitting down on his bed, not even bothering anymore to point out that it wasn't his birthday. "And you?"

"Oh, it's great. Paris threw a party for me," she laughed.

He smirked. "My condolences."

"No, it was really good. Lane, Mom, Dad, Gigi, Sookie, Jackson and a few other friends are also here and it's a blast."

"Did you get my present yet?" he wanted to know.

"Oh yeah, it arrived just now. And you're completely crazy!" she confirmed.

"But you like it," he summarized.

"Are you crazy? The locket is beautiful. Why didn't you put your picture in it, though?" she asked.

He smiled. "It's up to you to pick the picture you want, not me, Ace. I do hope, though, that a picture of us will be in it."

"Of course it will! I just don't know which one yet. Not one I can think of seems good enough," she sighed.

"We can always take new pictures," he said and once again thought about the ring in his drawer. A wedding picture would just be perfect for that locket in his opinion.

"Hmm, perhaps. But hey, what do you mean. It was pretty good? Just pretty good?" she asked, slightly offended. "I would have thought that it was your best birthday ever."

"Being modest, huh, Ace?" Logan grinned.

"Yeah well, you did say in the morning that that ride in the Raptor was your best birthday present ever," she pointed out indignantly.

"And it was," he nodded.

"So it's got to be your best birthday as well," she argued.

His grin widened. "Not necessarily, no."

"And what exactly didn't make this the day as good as I was wanting it to be?" she wanted to know, huffing.

"Ace, it was damn close to being perfect," Logan finally showed mercy with her. "The ride in the Raptor, the boat, the jacket, the concert, Finn and Colin, our talks today made my day. Each and everyone was a definite highlight in my entire life."

"So..."

"But you weren't here, Rory," he told her softly.

"Oh..."

He smiled at that, almost able to see her cheeks coloring even as her eyes lit up. "But be assured that aside from that, it was my best birthday ever."

She sighed. "Good save, Huntzberger."

He shrugged. "It's the truth though."

Rory sighed again, deeper this time. "Originally, I did want to come to London for a short visit. But then Jenkins came with that damn assignment, about the influence of politics on print media versus the influence of print media in politics. I couldn't skip the presentation today, Logan."

"Hey, I didn't mean it as a complaint, not at all," Logan protested. "And I wanted to come to New Haven, but I've got a meeting tomorrow at six that I can't miss either. I just say how it is. I somewhat felt your presence under the circumstances, with all your calls, the DVD, your presents and the messages you left with Finn and Colin. It was almost as if you actually _were_ here, with me." He sighed. "Well, aside from the fact that I couldn't touch you or draw you into my arms to kiss you."

"I know. I miss being in your arms," Rory replied longingly.

Laying back, Logan stared at his ceiling, suddenly feeling the distance between the two of them more than ever. "It's not that long until Christmas," he tried to cheer her and himself up.

"No, it's not," Rory agreed. "And the time until then is pretty packed. Some more school work and more research papers due 'til mid December, Thanksgiving, some interviews for the paper, Christmas shopping, Christmas baking..."

"Baking?" he interrupted her, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes, baking," Rory confirmed. "Mom and I do that every year. Well, we try."

"And you really bake?" he asked, doubtfully. His Ace sure had many talents, but baking and cooking wasn't her thing. She had gotten better at it though. Still... She and Lorelai?

She was silent for a moment, and then sighed. "Okay, okay, Sookie bakes the cookies. But Mom and I decorate them. We're very good at decorating."

"I have no doubt whatsoever about that. Do I get a cookie as well?" he wanted to know with a grin.

"Perhaps. If you've been a good boy," was her dry reply.

"Ace, with you an ocean away I'm nothing else but a good boy," Logan smirked.

But Rory snorted. "I dunno. Some of those text messages and emails I've gotten lately don't scream good boy exactly."

"Just responding to your messages, baby," Logan said, with wolf grin in place.

"Excuse me, I sure didn't start that exchange with the cucumber!" she protested.

"But it was you who first propositioned me with the phone sex and it was also you who sent me the first message," he pointed out. "So it's definitely you who started this. You know my imagination whenever sex is concerned. You had to expect this."

"You're impossible and annoying," she stated with a huff.

He shrugged. "And yet you love me."

"I must be completely out of my mind," she agreed.

"Does it help that I'm as crazy as you?" Logan asked.

"Hmm, that helps a lot," she answered more gently. "Say, you still have that DVD Schultz gave you?"

Puzzled, he frowned. "Sure. Why?"

"I take it you only saw the first part, right?" she wanted to know.

"First part?" His eyebrows shot up. "There's more on it?"

"Oh yeah. Why don't you put it in and find out why I wanted Finn out of the room, just in case?" she suggested.

Logan was up in a flash, heading for the living room where his various presents were. "Ace?"

"Just watch it," she laughed. "Sweet dreams, Logan."

Leaving it at that, she hung up. Now definitely intrigued, he grabbed the envelope with the DVD in it and then made a hasty retreat, making sure his bedroom door was closed. Then he put the DVD back in, forwarding through her first message. And sure enough, after two minutes of nothing, their bedroom back home once again filled the screen, this time bathed in candlelight, Rory once again sitting on the bed, still in her army uniform, smiling right at him.

"If everything went well, you're watching this now at the end of your big day. I hope you enjoyed it, Logan. And I've got a last present for you, a very private one, so if there's someone else with you there, please do me a favor and send that person away. This is just for you, honey."

She stood up, slowly, moving a bit closer to the camera. "You see, I remembered that I still owe you a striptease out of just this costume," she said, her voice dropping, her smile turning to a sexy pout while her eyes sparkled wickedly. With the remote, she turned on the music. Rita Hayworth. Of course. "So, Logan, lean back and enjoy the show."

His eyes widening, he watched as his Ace put the remote away, looked straight at him, and then started to move slowly to the music, her hands sliding oh so slowly up her body to the top button of her uniform.

"Jesus," he breathed, his eyes glued to the screen, but he did as he was told and leaned back on his bed, making himself comfortable.

He had no doubt whatsoever that he was in for the show of his life.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Finally some Finn and Colin again! I missed them terribly in the 7th season and I'm sure, I wasn't the only one there, huh? Anyway, thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well. Next chapter will come soon. And finally, thanks to my new beta who volunteered to beta for me! You're wonderful!)_


	5. Back In His Arms

**Chapter 5: Back In His Arms**

"Hey Ace."

"Logan," was Ace's whispered reply, barely audible over the ruckus in the background.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you whispering? And where are you? In a club?"

"Sort of. It's a party," she explained, still in a hushed tone. "And I'm whispering because I'm trying to sneak away from the party in order to go home and get some studying done."

He grinned. "And why do you need to sneak away instead of just going?"

"Because if a certain Australian lunatic notices that I'm going, he will throw a tantrum. He's really good at throwing tantrums. So to avoid total humiliation, I've no choice than to stay, glued to his side, until he decides it's time to go," she replied dryly. "And you know him. You're lucky when he stops partying by dawn the next day. Especially at Thanksgiving weekend."

"Finn?" Logan summarized, his grin widening.

"Uff, I made it," she announced, her voice taking on a normal level. "And yeah, Finn. Know any other Australian lunatic?"

"Well..."

"Oh, just forget it," Rory interrupted him, though. "I'd like to know if you, by any chance, have anything to do with Finn's apparent new goal in life?" she asked, suspiciously.

Ah... He knew he'd hear about that sooner or later. "Whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently though.

"Ever since his trip to London for your birthday, Finn seemed to have made it his mission to 'party up' my life," Rory told him darkly. "He seems to have the idea, that I don't go out enough and therefore commit the unforgivable crime of not paying my last year at college its due respect. So he shows up all the time, wanting to take me along to this party, to that event or simply for a night out."

"Well, why should I have anything to do with that?" he asked, even more innocently. "You know him. This is Finn we're talking about."

"Exactly. Finn. Your best friend. The same friend that, before he met you recently, only came by when he really was nearby, not popping up everywhere I go," Rory insisted though. "Last Friday he was leaning against my car when I came out of my grandparent's house, claiming he needed a ride into town. Needless to say that the town turned out to be New York. And of course I couldn't say no. You never can say no, he just won't accept it! And if it isn't Finn, then it's Colin showing up out of nowhere, suddenly wanting to go have a drink with me or take me along to a party as well. Where we usually meet Finn."

"They just miss you," Logan argued with a smile. "They do like you a lot, you know that. You're almost like their little sister."

"No brother would want to party up my life like that," she responded sarcastically. "No, but I can't shake the feeling that they have been doing their best friend a favor. Like they made a promise to that certain best friend about looking out for his girlfriend while he's stuck across the ocean in London, make sure she doesn't bore herself to death, buried at home, studying, instead of enjoying her last year as she should. Because they all think that maybe she's that way, because she doesn't feel much like going out without her boyfriend around?"

"Yeah well," he conceded slowly.

"Ha! I knew it!" she exclaimed triumphantly. "What on Earth were you thinking?"

Logan shrugged. "I just noticed that you didn't seem to socialize much. That's just wrong. So I may have made a comment in that regard to Finn," he confessed.

"Exactly! Where was your head? You don't ask Finn to party up someone's life. You _know_ how he is!" she pointed out.

"Come on, it's not that bad. So he shows up from time to time to spend some time with you. Is that so bad? You like Finn," he defended himself. "And you really needed to go out more. You're always at home when you're not working. That's just not healthy, Ace."

"Yeah, I like Finn. But in the six weeks since your birthday he took me to ten parties, one rock concert, one musical and one opera, two art exhibit cocktail parties, one LDB-event and four times we went to the movies. Not even Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton party together that much," Rory told him dryly. "Besides, how do you know I'm not going out? I do go out, you know? I told you about meeting Lucy and Olivia and we do hang out together."

"But..."

"And maybe, I'm always home when you call because those calls are important to me and I'd like to be by myself when I talk with you, in a place, where you're still a little bit present and where there's a bed or couch nearby to make myself comfortable for a perhaps more private talk with you," she interrupted him. "Ever thought of that, Logan?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Is it like that then, Ace?" he finally wanted to know.

She sighed. "Not everyone need as much party as you and Finn and Colin, Logan. And yeah, I wasn't going out that much. But I _do_ go out, not just sitting around, studying and waiting for your next call. I'm not that pathetic."

"No one ever said anything about pathetic, Ace," Logan protested. "I just felt like perhaps, because I'm not around, you don't go out much and I don't want that, Rory. This is your last year. And I know how much you enjoy studying, but you still went out regularly as well and I don't want to be responsible for you missing out on that especially now." He shook his head. "Like this weekend. It's Thanksgiving weekend and instead of being in Stars Hollow with your family and friends or at least partying somewhere else you sneak away from a party to go home to study."

"For your information, I was home Thanksgiving and most of today until Finn caught up with me in the parking lot to whisk me away to this party in New Haven. And I've got a lot of work due next week, so me being in Yale has nothing to do with the fact that you couldn't make it home for Thanksgiving because of your busy UK schedule," she told him exasperated. "Logan, really, I appreciate your concern, but I think how I spend my time is more up to me than to you," Rory answered, seriously. "Look, for the past two years, I mostly hang around you and your friends. Now, you and most of those friends are gone. Lane's pregnant with her twins and can't go out much also. And you can only go out with Paris and Doyle so much. I needed time to find some new friends and now that I have them, I do hang around with them occasionally. And I also enjoy going out with Finn and Colin from time to time. But not all the time, so could you please whistle them back? They won't listen to me."

"Finn will be disappointed," Logan gave in.

Rory snorted. "Until he notices that without me posing as his girlfriend he'll be free to flirt with the ladies again. Especially when he tells them that I broke his heart."

"His girlfriend?" Logan asked, frowning. That was news to him.

"Yeah well, he had to make sure somehow that all the other guys kept their hands off me, shouldn't he? So on the first party he took me along, he told the third guy who hit on me that I was his girlfriend and introduced me as such since then," she explained smugly. "What, he didn't report that back to you?"

"I didn't ask for reports," Logan clarified, his frown deepening. "And they hit on you?"

"Well, I appeared to be single, so why shouldn't guys try to flirt with me?" she asked. "Or do you want to tell me that I'm so ugly that it's a surprise if anyone shows even the slightest interest in me?"

"No," he said shortly. His Ace was anything else but ugly. Damn it. Why had he never considered that to other guys she must look available with him not around to glare them away? Jeez, they must be swarming around her like moths around a flame.

Fuck.

"I see..." Rory drawled, apparently highly amused. "So... you still think I should go out more?"

Logan gritted his teeth and failed to answer.

Much to Rory's amusement. She laughed out loud. "I guess not."

He needed to let those vultures know to keep their hands off his woman. But how, with him stuck in London?

"Logan? You're still there?"

"Yeah," he answered, absentmindedly.

Of course, once he proposed and she would hopefully say yes, she'd wear his ring, a sure sign for everyone that she was taken.

"You do know that you can trust me, right?" she interrupted his thoughts.

"What?" he asked, momentarily confused until he connected the dots. "Oh yeah. Of course. I'd never doubt you."

He knew Rory would never betray him like that. But this didn't mean that he could trust the other guys. Guys couldn't be trusted. Especially not intoxicated guys. What if on a party, one of those drunken guys tried something with his Ace and he wasn't there to protect her?

"You know what? You're right. Your party life is not my business. I promise to keep out from now on. Just do whatever you like to do with your time," he told her.

Which was studying. And working for the newspaper. And reading. And watching TV. And hanging out with her mother. Or her other girlfriends. Yeah, she should spend her time just as she liked.

At the other end, Rory laughed again. "Logan, sometimes you're so predictable."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, and then shrugged. "Guess it's high time I do something about that. Where are you now? Got time for one of those 'more private talks' you mentioned earlier?" he asked with a smirk.

"In a minute. Just entering the building. Thank God the party was in _this_ town this time," Rory replied. "And don't mock me."

"I would never," Logan protested with a grin.

"Yeah you do. But just wait. I can mock with the best of them. As you well know," she told him.

He chuckled. "Oh yeah, I know. And did you hear me protest?"

"Just wanting to be sure you haven't forgotten that," she said. "Almost home. But can you talk? I thought you mentioned something about a party you had to attend tonight. And yet another reason why you couldn't make a quick trip to the States for Thanksgiving? You're already home?"

Logan smiled, looking towards the door. "Yeah, I'm home," he answered softly. "And the party has yet to start."

"What?" she asked, puzzled and he could hear her dangling with her keys, then opening the lock. "What's the time in London now? Four am? Did I get the dates wrong?"

The door squeaked lightly as she opened it.

"No," he said into the phone, and then ended the call, throwing the cell phone on the couch, before he made three big strides towards the door to scoop her squealing up into his arms. "Just the time zone," he laughed and couldn't help but twirling her around, enjoying to finally having her in his arms again. "Hey," he greeted her softly, once he put her back down onto her feet.

She stared at him wide-eyed. "Oh my God, Logan! How... What..."

Not able to resist kissing her again a second later, he shut her up by kissing her deeply and hungrily. God, it's been so long. So damn long. She met his kiss with equal passion and any thoughts he had vanished, leaving him with nothing but a burning body and a need he never had experienced before.

"Rory," he growled, groaned, unable to say or think anything else, unable to tear his lips away for longer than a second, his hunger for her too great and all consuming.

Thankfully, she seemed to understand him perfectly. Without breaking their kiss, she leveled herself up and slang her legs around his waist. Logan didn't need any other invitation and staggered toward their bedroom.

Not that he really thought that they'd make it there anytime soon.

* * *

"So... want to tell me now how come you're here?" Rory murmured, burying her head deeper into the crook between his head and shoulder. They eventually had made it to their bed after all, though it had taken quite a while. A very enjoyable while.

"Why? You complaining?" he asked smiling, lazily stroking up her bare back.

God, how he loved being able to touch her again!

"Don't be ridiculous," she told him forcefully, looking up at him. "I love it that you're home, you know that." She leaned her head back against his shoulder. "For how long are you here?"

He sighed and made a face. "I've got to take the plane that leaves tomorrow night at nine pm. But let's not think about that now, okay Ace?"

She nodded. "So how come you're here?"

He shrugged. "I managed to close all the important and urgent deals ahead of time and even if not all the world celebrates Thanksgiving, it's still going slow at the moment. So I asked Dad if it's okay I take the weekend off. It was. So here I am."

"Hmm." She looked up at him again. "And you told him that you planned to come home?"

He grinned. "That he didn't ask."

"I see." She pushed herself up a little so she could face him better. "What if he finds out? Will you be in trouble?"

"I don't plan to tell him, Ace?" he answered, raising an eyebrow.

"But what if something happens and he wants you back in the office? And then he finds out that you're in the States and not in London, needing hours until you can go to the office?" she worried.

Shaking his head, he lifted his hand to stroke over her cheek. "Rory... you worry too much."

"I just don't want him to get so angry that he messes our relationship up even more." Her soulful eyes searched his. "I don't think I can bear much more distance between us."

Frowning, he too sat up a little. "First of all, I really don't think we have to worry about anything. Dad hadn't forbidden me to come home occasionally; he just had made it impossible by filling my time up with meetings he demanded I had to attend. That I chose to spend my first free weekend since my arrival in London here with you is not his business. And our family's not big on Thanksgiving, never was, so that's not a problem either," he told her then took her hands. "And even if he really learns of my visit and then decides to punish me, us for that, I won't let him, Ace. I don't care what he does. If he tries to separate us again or damage our relationship, I'm gone. I'll quit and leave the family business."

"Logan, you can't do that!" she protested.

But he shook his head and scooted closer to her, interlacing his fingers with hers. "Yeah, I can. I couldn't bear any more distance between us, Rory. It's bad enough as it is, but at least this way, I can be here with you in a few hours and there is only a five-hour time difference between us. That's the only reason why I played along so far." His face hardened. "But those months working over in London, I learned some things, Rory, about myself but also about Dad. Truth is, I'm good, Ace, and Dad knows that. I know he gets reports from his British department heads about my progress, as well as from his other associates and all they could tell him is that I'm doing a good job over there. And I also know that Dad needs me. He wants the firm to stay in our family's hands and I'm the only one who can take over. So he won't take the risk of me leaving the company." He held her eyes. "But even if it still comes to that, I wouldn't care, Rory. I also learned that if I have to, I can also make it on my own. I'm making my own money and my own business contacts. Plus I've still got the trust funds and not even Dad can take those away from me. It's enough to just go and set up my own business, if necessary. And that's just what I would do, if he pushes me to that."

For a long moment, Rory just held his eyes. Then she slowly shook her head, touching his face. "I can't ask you to do this, Logan."

He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm before he looked back at her with a smile. "And you didn't. This is my decision, Rory."

"But..."

"Shhh," he told her gently and put a finger over her mouth. "It is my decision, solely mine. And yeah, you would be a big part of that decision. But not the only reason, okay? It's my life and I've decided that I won't let him dictate my life any longer. I'm doing this year and then I'll talk with Dad about the future, letting him know my terms and conditions. Some of them I may be ready to discuss, some of them negotiable. If he doesn't agree to those terms then he'll find out the consequences to his stubbornness. And this will happen, with or without you in the picture, Rory." He offered her a lopsided smile. "Though I sure hope that you'll definitely be in the picture."

Her eyes lightening up, she leaned forward to give him a kiss. A slow and sensual kiss, lacking the hunger of the last hours but still deeply passionate.

"I definitely plan to be in the picture, just so you know," she said smiling, once she drew back from their kiss.

His heart started to pound fast and loudly at her words and he reached out to take her into his arms, pulling her back down on the bed as he moved them so he was hovering over her. "I'm glad to hear that. But now, I think we've talked enough. I have only one plan for this weekend, Ace, and that doesn't include any talking," he told her as he slowly lowered himself down on her. "In fact, it doesn't include anything that requires us to leave our apartment and even more importantly, nothing that requires us to wear any clothes."

"So basically, all you want is us, naked, making love like wild rabbits all the time while you are here," she summarized but did grind herself a bit against him.

"You nailed it," he nodded, his voice already deep with desire and pushed himself against her, letting her feel just how big that desire was.

She smiled up at him, wickedly. "Fine with me," she said and pulled him down into her, ending any other conversation by taking possession of his mouth.

* * *

"I don't think I can move for at least a week," Rory groaned, sinking down on his chest, exhausted.

"Hmm," was all Logan managed to utter, as exhausted as she was but utterly satisfied, holding her securely in his arms. God, how he had missed this. It was a mystery to him how he had been able to go so long without being able to make love to her like this.

"And next time, warn me, so I know to have enough provision at home to last us a weekend. I'm dying here with hunger," she complained.

He would have shrugged but that was definitely too much of an effort. "We can order in."

"That would mean one of us to go get the phone, dial and order in and then to buzz the delivery guy up, open him the door, take the food, pay for it and carry it back to bed," she listed. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to move a muscle anytime soon."

"And I won't leave your side for that long," he answered.

"So we're doomed to starve to death," she sighed, snuggling closer, if that was even possible with their bodies still entwined.

"I guess so," he agreed and closed his eyes. "But what a death," he sighed contently.

"Huh... I suppose there are worse ways to go," she mused, then looked up, her eyes betraying a myriad of emotions, each of them warming Logan to the deepest core. "May I say that it was really, really great that you made this trip?" she said softly. "I was going stir crazy here without you."

He stroked back her hair and hoped that his eyes were as expressive as hers. "You weren't the only one, Rory. I honestly couldn't go a day longer without being with you." He shook his head slightly. "Ever since our switched birthdays. The six weeks since then were nothing but torture. But I couldn't clear my schedule sooner."

"I'm just glad you could do it at all," she said with a shrug. "I thought I wasn't seeing you 'til Christmas and I wasn't sure anymore how to wait that long. I needed you," Ace sighed and kissed his chest.

His hands still buried in her soft hair, caressing it, he nodded. "It was too long. We should never go this long again without seeing each other."

"And how do you reckon can we do that? Your year in London isn't over by far. Not even half of it has passed yet actually," she sighed, depressed.

"I know. Doesn't mean we have to go without seeing each other. I'll make more weekend trips from now on. And perhaps you can come over to London for a lazy weekend once or twice," Logan said.

"I can't afford..."

"Hey," he interrupted her, his hands sliding down to cup her cheeks and make sure she looked at him. "That's not a problem at all. You know I'll be more than happy to pay for any expenses."

"I know, but I don't want you to always pay for me," she protested though. "I'm uncomfortable enough with you not taking any cent from me when you're the one paying for this apartment. The least I want is for you to pay for my trips also. Not that it would be that necessary. I have enough money from what I earn from the Gazette and the money my Dad and grandparents give me, not to mention what my Mom gives me. It's more the time I'm worried about, at least as long as I'm the editor of the Yale Daily News."

He frowned. "You've got qualms about staying here?" he asked, ignoring the rest of what she said for the moment.

She scrunched up her nose. "It's just... Sometimes it feels a bit like I'm the cheap girlfriend you've got to support. Or an exclusive call girl."

His frown deepened. "Rory, please don't talk such nonsense. First of all, this is _our_ apartment, _our_ home, and I draw pleasure knowing that you're here at home, sleeping in our bed, making this place our home. It has nothing to do with the gobbledygook you just spouted there. Nor are you in any way cheap or even close to being a call girl. Believe me." When she raised an eyebrow, questioning, he shrugged. "What. You know I had an eventful life before meeting you."

She shook her head but let it go. "So how do you figure we avoid such a long dry spell for us again?" she instead wanted to know.

Back to playing with her hair, Logan thought for a moment. "Well, in six weeks it'll be Christmas, and then you'll come visit me anyway. And keep the Valentine weekend free. I'll see to it that we can see each other then."

She slowly nodded. "And then it'll be spring break. I could come to London again."

"That would be great. I'll have work though," he sighed.

"That's okay. So do I. We'd still have the evenings and weekends though," she replied with a shrug. "And while you're at work, I can do my school work and maybe also do a little sightseeing and shopping. I would see museums that you would rather not go to. But we'd be together, that's all that counts."

He nodded, happy at the prospect. "I'll even go to a musical with you, if you want."

Her eyes widened amused. "Oh really? But you can't snore; you do know that, right?"

"Haha, very funny," he grumbled.

She smiled mischievously, but let it be. "After that there will be the exams soon enough and with those I'll hardly notice your absence anyway."

"I figured," he replied dryly. "But I'll see to it that I can come home for a weekend before the exams start. After all, I won't be distracted by them from our separation."

"Aww, poor baby," she gushed in mock, stroking his face.

He caught her hand. "Yeah, very poor indeed," he agreed and pulled her up a bit so he could kiss her.

God, she tasted good. It was a mystery to him how he could have gone so long without devouring that wonderful nectar. And the thought that he soon had to leave again, leaving her behind…

He pressed her closer against him, burying his head into her neck, kissing it while deeply inhaling the scent that was uniquely hers, wanting to bath in it, and memorizing everything. She lifted herself away, a bit from him and he groaned in protest…that quickly turned to a groan of utter pleasure as he felt her sliding down on him as well as leaning back down to him enough for them to be locked in a furious kiss as well.

Oh Jesus!

* * *

For a long moment he just stood beside the bed, his eyes drinking the sight of his Ace, still deeply sleeping in their bed, a smile on her face, deeply content. It was a gorgeous sight, the most beautiful he had ever seen and it made it almost impossible to tear himself away from this peaceful, happy moment, let alone disturb that sweet sleeping beauty.

But Frank was waiting for him downstairs for his ride to the airport and she would never forgive him for leaving without a word. With a sigh, he leaned down and gently shook her shoulder, uncomfortably remembering a very similar scene six months ago. It had been the hardest thing of his life, walking away from her back then.

This time, it would even be worse.

"Ace," he murmured and thankfully, she awaken from sleep, turning towards him, her smile deepening. "Hmm?"

He swallowed hard. "I've got to go now, Ace," he told her quietly.

That made her stir. "What?" she asked, opening her eyes. She caught him standing beside the bed, dressed and wearing his coat and her face fell, a slight panic filling her eyes. "No! It can't be time already!"

"Yeah, it is," he said ruefully and caressed her cheek, savoring the feel of her silky skin. "Frank's waiting downstairs."

"But…" she knelt up, both her hand closing around his hand as she looked at him. "I'm not ready yet. I want to at least come to the airport with you this time."

He sighed and shook his head. "Rory, no. It kills me to leave you as it is. I'd never get on that plane if you're there. It's best we say goodbye here."

"No! I don't want to say goodbye, not yet!" she protested, her grip tightening.

Her protest tore at his heart, and he reached out to draw her into his arms in order to give her a deep, desperate kiss. But after they separated again, instead of letting her slip out of his arms, she had put her arms around him and held him close to her now, just holding, so he stayed put.

"Don't go," she finally whispered into his ear and his hold on her tightened.

A little surprised at her whispered plea, he sighed and shook his head. "_Now_ you're asking me?" he asked, unbelievingly. "Ace..."

"I know, I know," she murmured, but she still pressed herself closer at him. "I just really, really want you to stay for a moment more."

The doorbell rang. Undoubtedly Frank, getting impatient and reminding him that time had gotten shorter. But Logan didn't move. Not as long as his Ace needed him. So he just stayed where he was, holding her firmly.

Eventually though she gave a deep sigh and slowly let go of him at last, looking down. "Sorry. You should just go. I'm fine, really."

Like hell. Gently, he put a finger under her chin and raised her head so he could look into her eyes. His throat closed off at the sight of the yet unshed tears and longing in her eyes and he had to swallow hard. "Liar," he whispered.

She smiled and shrugged.

"I love you," he told her with all his heart.

Rory nodded. "And I love you," she replied honestly.

"And we'll see each other in six weeks. That's not that long. We'll have two entire, beautiful weeks just for the two of us," he continued, trying to cheer up both of them.

"Yeah. And we'll talk, and write and message each other during those six weeks," she once again nodded, mustering up a smile.

"Of course," he agreed and the doorbell rang again, a lot more impatient than before. Frowning, Logan looked over his shoulder. Frank had just said goodbye to his tip.

With a sigh, Rory stood up and stepped up to him. "Go, Logan. You can't miss your plane," she said quietly and leaned up to give him a light kiss on his lips. "Call me once you're back in London, okay?"

Turning back to her, he nodded. "Sure."

Reluctantly, he turned away from her. After one step, he abruptly turned back around and scooped her up into his arms, holding her tightly, memorizing once again the feel of her in his arms while she held on tightly as well. "Bye," he whispered finally though, and kissed her cheek, not daring to go for a deeper kiss than that or he probably would never manage to leave.

He let her go at last and turned quickly around, walking away from her without looking back, just slowing down to pick up his duffel on the way out.

Once in the elevator, he sagged against the wall and closed his eyes.

Shit.

He wasn't sure how many more times he'd be able to do this.

It was torture, pure torture, nothing less.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving for everyone who's celebrating it. As for the others: cheer up, at least it's almost weekend! Here's the new chapter, fitting today's day even, though that's actually a coincidence. Hope you like it. Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Hope you're happy that they finally got together again. More soon.)_


	6. Change Of Plans

**Chapter 6: Change of Plans**

He was in the middle of a meeting when he felt his cell vibrate. Frowning, he discreetly checked the caller ID.

Rory.

His frown deepening, he didn't have to think even twice about his decision. With an apologetic smile he stood up. "I'm terribly sorry, but I have an urgent call to take. I'll be back with you in a short while. In the meantime, Bobby here can answer all the questions you may have. She's familiar with all the details. Now, if you please excuse me," he told the attendants of the meeting, gave Bobby a look and then quickly left through the side door into his office.

If his father got wind of this he'd probably hear about it but he didn't care. Rory usually didn't call at this time. Plus, she knew he had that meeting today. So if she still called, she had to have a real good reason.

"Ace?" he therefore asked the second the door closed behind him.

"Hey... Am I interrupting something?" she asked, her voice strangely, neutral.

Oh yeah, something was definitely up. "Nothing important. What's up, Rory?" he asked, going straight to the point.

For a long moment she said nothing. Then she sighed deeply. "It's my Mom and Dad. They're back from Paris. And they had news for me."

Logan cringed. "They split up? I guess the trip to Paris didn't go that well then, huh?"

"No. That's not it at all," she said flatly. "Actually, it's pretty much the opposite. They got married."

He blinked. "Say that again."

She drew a deep breath. "They got married."

He frowned. "Are you kidding me?"

She laughed. A very uneasy laugh. "I wish I was. But no. Mom and Dad let Paris get into them, saw a romantic little church and went and got married. Nothing more, nothing less. They got married, just like that."

Running a hand through his hair, he sat down. "Okay..."

"Okay? Okay? Are you kidding me? My parents got married!" Rory exclaimed, growing definitely angry now. "They got married and let's not forget for a moment what an incredible, stupid idea that was…they didn't even bother to tell me. No quick call, to say 'Hey Rory, we're getting married. Get into the next plane so you can be here' or even just letting me be there by letting me listen in on it through the phone. No, nothing! They just got married and only bothered to tell me a week later with 'Hey, by the way we got married between climbing the Eiffel Tower and visiting Montmarte!'! Ugh! Maybe I wouldn't have been that enthusiastic about it, with everything happening so fast, so yeah, perhaps I would have said a thing or two, but to just exclude me altogether? I mean, I could understand why Dad would pull such a stunt on me, but Mom? I would have thought that Mom knew better. No matter what the circumstances, when my Mom gets married, I should be there. Especially when she marries Dad!"

Oh boy... "Rory..."

"And I don't get it! Did she really think I wouldn't come? Hell, my parents got married! I may have thought about it what I wanted, but I still would have gotten on the next plane straight to Paris to be there! What the hell was she thinking?!" she ranted.

He sighed. "I don't know, Ace."

"Well, neither do I," she grumbled.

"Perhaps she just was caught up in the moment and simply went with it, not wanting to rethink everything which would probably have happened, had they waited or slept over it for a night," he suggested.

"Rather they weren't thinking at all," Rory huffed. "They're worse than lovesick teenagers. Hell, they've been more responsible when they _were_ lovesick teenagers!"

"Having a baby at sixteen is more responsible than getting married at thirty-six?" Logan couldn't help but chuckle.

"At least back then they knew what was right for them. Namely, not to marry!" Rory though just replied heatedly.

Shaking his head, Logan sighed again, looking out of his window as he could somehow find the right words to calm her out there. Console her. Shit. This was definitely not something he knew how to deal with. All he could do was try. And listen like he was supposed to do. As little as that was. What he really wanted was to be there with her and be able to take her into his arms and comfort her. She needed a hug right now, he knew that.

"Perhaps, your mom was afraid you'd talk her out of it, so decided to tell you after the fact?" he asked softly.

Rory was silent for a moment. "Probably," she finally said, the anger gone out of her voice, leaving only disappointment if not even a bit bitterness in it.

Definitely a good long firm hug. "I'm sorry, Ace," he said quietly.

"It's not your fault. I should be sorry for unloading to you like this. It's just... I'm so angry about this and at the same time, also so sad and confused and I don't know what to do or even think now," she told him and he didn't like the dejection in her tone at all. "I needed to rant."

"Hey, anytime, Rory, that's what I'm here for," he reassured her.

"I know. That's why I called. I needed you," she sighed. "Logan? Am I overreacting here?" she asked tentatively after a moment.

"Your parents got married without you," he simply said, confidently. "You have every right to be upset about this." He hesitated for a moment. "Especially seeing as you weren't that happy about your parents' relationship to begin with."

"It hasn't been that bad, the past few months," Rory said, tiredly. "Better than expected. I even started to get used to the idea that perhaps, they belong together in the end and not Luke and Mom. Dad's over the moon. And Mom seems to be happy enough as well."

Logan nodded. "But?"

"But... she didn't seem as happy as when she's been with Luke, especially after they finally set the date," Rory elaborated quietly. "She still doesn't seem happy. Perhaps because she was worried about my reaction, perhaps because she was right to worry…but still, she didn't have that glow, you know? That glow people have who are truly in love."

He thought about that, nodding slowly. Yeah, he had seen that glow as well. Even better, he had seen it in Rory. And in himself.

"But that glow is not there, not with Mom. With Dad, yes. This is what he had always wanted and now that it happened, he couldn't be happier. I'm sure about that," Rory continued. "But I'm not so sure with Mom. And that's why I think this marriage was a huge mistake. Going out is one thing, hell, being in a relationship is one thing, but a marriage? You should be sure then, absolutely sure, and Mom's not sure, Logan. Not yet. Perhaps she'll never be, not with Dad. Luke has been it, the one, for her, until Luke started to fuck up because of April. I understand why Mom had to break up with him. Jeez, I even understand why she went to Dad. But, this marriage? Especially the way they went about it?" She shook her head, he just knew it. "Logan, if Mom hadn't had doubts herself she would still have married spontaneously perhaps, but she definitely would have called me to be there. And I would have asked if she really was sure about this, but I would have been there in a heart beat and I would have been happy for them. But not like this, Logan. Not like this." She took a deep breath. "And I'm afraid of what will happen. I really don't have a good feeling about this, Logan. I'm almost certain that it won't work. And, if I'm right and when the shit hits the fan... Dad's heart will be broken. And Mom won't be much better either, blaming herself. I don't know what I can do so neither of them will get hurt."

"I agree with you, Rory. But in the end I don't think you can do anything but just be there for them, no matter how it will turn out," he said honestly. "I know this sucks. And I wish I could do something to help you deal with it..."

"But you already did, Logan, didn't you notice that? And it's not anything small. You're there. You listen. That's more important than you give yourself credit for," Rory reassured him.

Logan shrugged. "I still would rather be able to take you into my arms than just listen through the phone."

"Me too," she replied quietly.

Logan smiled. "Well, it's only barely a week until you're here, Ace."

"Hmm. Logan?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Would you mind if I come over a few days earlier? I can't face them again, not yet. And there's nothing important going on at school this last week before the holidays," she asked, almost timidly. "Besides, I really need to see you."

His other eyebrow rose as well. "Rory, you can't be serious asking this. You know that the sooner I have you with me again, the happier I am. I still have to work this week though, I can't finish earlier."

"That's okay," she waved his concern away. "I have some editing to do for the YDN anyway, but I can do that via email and I can do my textbook reading requirements there also. So you don't mind?"

He rolled his eyes. "Ace..."

"Right," she smiled.

"And how much sooner had you in mind?" he wanted to know.

"There's a plane that leaves today from JFK at a quarter to eight tonight. I thought about catching that one so I'd be in London at around eight in the morning your time," Rory answered.

Today? She wanted to come today? His heartbeat quickened at that prospect but still... "Rory. As much as I'd love to see you so soon…are you really sure about this? Don't you think you should talk with your Mom first?" he asked, doubtfully.

Heaven knows he wanted her with him as soon as possible but he knew his Ace. If she didn't clear things up with her Mom first she wouldn't be able to completely enjoy their holidays, especially not Christmas. She just wasn't happy when she was on the outs with her Mom. Last year had shown that more than clearly. And for their first Christmas together, he definitely wanted her to be as happy as she could possibly be. Not to mention that he wanted her to concentrate on him for the precious time they could finally spend together again and not always thinking about her parents, especially Lorelai.

"I'll talk to her, but not right now. I'm too angry and hurt at the moment and I guess, the same goes for Mom as well," Rory though said. "Some distance will do us good I think. So we can think over it a bit. Calm down. And I need to be with you," she finished, determined.

He nodded, not going to protest any further. Whatever. He had at least tried it. And he _did_ want her here with him as soon as possible. "Eight you said?" he asked, turning to his computer to call up his calendar. There was a meeting at nine and another one at eleven thirty. No problem. They could be postponed. Or Bobby could go in his place, at least for the one at eleven thirty, that wasn't a very important meeting anyway.

"Yeah, the plane's supposed to land at seven thirty-five. So I hope that by a little after eight, I'm out of the arrival zone," she confirmed.

"You want to check in your baggage?" he asked incredulously.

"Are you crazy? You really think the things I need for three weeks fit in a carry-on?" she asked incredulously also. "I think not."

He smirked. "You don't need much on my account."

"I bet," she replied dryly. "But the books alone will probably be too bulky for a hand-carried luggage anyway. Besides, Huntzberger, we're not going to spend those entire three weeks in your apartment. Namely your bedroom."

"No?" he sighed, disappointed. "Too bad."

"No. Actually, I think you definitely promised me at least one musical and a trip to Rome and Paris." She stopped at that, probably frowning. "Hmm, perhaps you better change those plans for Paris. I don't think I'm in the mood for Paris after what happened. The mood I'm in I could talk you into marrying me just to show Mom how that feels like," she said resigned.

His breath caught. He knew she was just joking, but still... "You wouldn't do that," he told her softly, fighting to keep his voice level.

"No?"

He shook his head. "No."

She sighed. "I guess not. _I_ would call her so she could be there. And Lane. And Sookie. And Paris. And Finn, Colin and Honor would have to be there as well of course. And I guess Grandma and Grandpa too."

_Logan, if Mom hadn't had doubts herself she would still have married spontaneously perhaps, but she definitely would have called me to be there._

Her earlier words came back to him, resonating like crazy in his head, drowning out everything else for a moment but the loud and fast beat of his heart. Taking this earlier comment, she had just implied that by wanting all their loved ones at their possible wedding, she was sure about marrying him. Right? That she _would_ marry him. That she'd say yes when he asked her.

God, he hoped so. He wasn't sure what he was going to do if she said no. He really wasn't. Actually, he rather not think about that possibility at all. She had to say yes. She just had to.

They loved each other, there was no doubt about that. And a permanent future for them had been implied often enough to give him some confidence that this was what she wanted as well.

After all, they _belonged_ together.

"Logan?"

Her question brought him back to the here and now, and he, honest to God, felt his cheeks warm up. Shit. "Sorry, Ace, I got distracted for a moment. Well, with all those people needing to be present I guess it would be easier to simply have the ceremony back home rather than to fly them all out to Paris," he said and regretted it immediately. Not that it was wrong... but it was way too concrete. At least for the moment. "What about Madrid then?" he hastily asked, hoping she hadn't noticed his slip. "There are always parties in Madrid and lots of places to see as well. I hear New Year in Madrid is quite an event."

"I trust you to plan us a marvelous trip," she just said, thank God not further commenting on that wedding. "Listen, I should make a few calls and pack my suitcase if I want to make that flight. And you should go back to your meeting. I kept you long enough now."

He grinned. "Who says I was in a meeting?"

"You mentioned it yesterday and this morning. And it's there in your calendar highlighted in red. I'm sorry for interrupting it," she said.

"No need to. I was glad for the break," he shrugged.

"Don't make this smaller than what it is," she disagreed though. "I just didn't care, really needing to talk to you. Thanks for listening and not being impatient in the slightest."

Logan shook his head. "Rory, really..."

"I know. No big deal. Well, it is for me. More than you can imagine. Besides, I had to test that direct line to your red phone, this day being as good as any," she joked, trying to lighten the conversation up.

Seeing that she'd be with him in not even twenty-four hours, he let her off the hook and leaned back in his chair with a grin. "And was the test successful?"

"Exceeding my expectations. Now go back to work. I don't want you to have to do work after office hours now of all the times. I'll call you from JFK, before I board, so you'll know everything's okay," she told him, using her demanding voice.

"You do that. And Ace? Don't take it too hard, okay? I'm sure they'll figure it out one day, one way or the other," he tried to comfort her.

"I hope so. Love you. Bye!" she said.

He nodded. "Yeah, bye, Ace," he said his goodbye as well and slowly ended the call, deep in thoughts.

Ace was right. He should go back to the meeting. He would be giving a bad impression if he stayed out much more than he should. And they were important contacts for the firm. Not to mention that he really, really shouldn't meddle with this. That would be a very bad idea. But...

Oh, what the heck.

Scrolling through his contacts he spotted the number he was looking for.

Surprisingly, it was picked up after only three rings. "Hello?"

Bracing himself, he spoke. "Hey, Lorelai. It's Logan."

There was a long moment of silence. He couldn't blame her. Logan calling her had to be a bit surprising.

"Logan. Hi. How's London?" she finally asked, conversationally. Then she immediately cut to the chase though, no longer able to hold back her curiosity. A trait her daughter had inherited which he knew only too well. "I take it you've got a reason to call me."

"London's okay. And yeah, there's a reason," he confirmed. "I hear congratulations are in order." he more stated than asked, hoping he didn't sound too sarcastically.

Again, Lorelai was silent for a moment. "Yeah. I guess Rory called you to rant about it," she finally answered though, sounding defensive. "She didn't take it too well," she added, more to herself than to Logan as he knew very well. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said anything like that at all, not to him.

They sure had never been on the best terms with each other. He couldn't blame her. When they first met, he was a bit of an ass, he supposed. And Rory getting arrested with him and then drop out of school in the aftermath of his father's bad review about her internship hadn't warmed Lorelai up to him for sure. While he hadn't appreciated how much she had hurt Rory by pushing her out of her life until Rory came to her senses, so to speak, he understood that she wasn't pleased with Rory taking a break from school. Hell, even he hadn't been happy about that, but she didn't have to cut out Rory the way she did. Nowadays, they more or less tolerated each other out of necessity. They had a truce, sort of, he guessed. She stopped criticizing him to Rory or so he thought while he stayed as much out of their relationship as he could, giving Rory enough space to still spend tons of time with Lorelai, not hogging her time.

Problem was that he had every intention of marrying Rory and he knew that with Rory came Lorelai and all the other people she loved. That Rory would never be completely happy if Lorelai and he were only tolerating each other. So sooner or later, he had to find a way for Lorelai to warm up to him.

Of course, this phone call now would most probably not exactly help his cause. But it didn't matter. This was about Rory.

"No, she was pretty upset over it," he agreed. "She wants to leave for London earlier than planned."

"Oh yeah?" Lorelai asked, doubtfully.

"Yeah. In fact she plans to leave today," Logan just replied, thinking about his next words. "She's home, packing at the moment. Perhaps, you should pay her a visit before she leaves," he finally suggested carefully.

"You think?" Lorelai snorted. "And what exactly gives you the right to think what I should do? Or meddle with this at all? I think this is rather something between me and Rory solely and perhaps her father as well."

Shaking his head, Logan shrugged. "Lorelai, you can do whatever you want. But you should slowly get used to me being in the picture with Rory." He hesitated for a moment, and then shot all caution into the wind. "I love her, Lorelai, and I don't plan to disappear out of her life ever again, not if I can help it. And because l _do_ love her, I don't like to see her upset, something you should understand." He took a deep breathe. "Look, all I'm saying is that perhaps, you should go and talk to her while you still have the chance to. Or you both will have a miserable time over the holidays and I think you know that, as well as I do. Explain to Rory why you got married without her being there and let her explain why she's so upset."

Lorelai was silent, surprisingly. He would have thought she'd give him a piece of her mind for this.

The door to his office opened and Bobby entered. Meaning that his meeting was either finished or that he was needed. Either way, he had to return to work. Holding up a finger to Bobby, he turned around with his chair.

"Listen, I need to go. I simply thought you should know that Rory plans to leave the country in a few hours and that perhaps, you'd like to talk to her before that. Just think about it, okay?" he said, his voice dropping so Bobby couldn't overhear him. "And please don't tell Rory about this call. Bye Lorelai. And my best wishes for your wedding." He hung up before she had a chance to say something. Then again, he doubted she had anything to say to him anyway.

He turned back to face Bobby.

"Everything all right?"

Logan nodded. "The meeting?"

"All went well, Logan. They're agreeing with our proposal, saying it's a very good idea. Payton, Keller and O'Brien are still out there, waiting to say goodbye to you," she brought him up to date.

Logan got up. "Good, then I better not let them wait much longer. Tell Nick and Philipp that I want to see them in half an hour in my office. Then tell Steven to cancel the meeting tomorrow at nine. We're holding it day after tomorrow instead. And you and Philipp should be ready, I may need the two of you to go to the Ziller meeting at eleven thirty in my place."

Nodding, Bobby noted all that down. "You've got another meeting tomorrow then?" she asked, curious.

Logan smiled. "Yeah, looks like it," he simply answered and left it at that, going outside to join the men waiting for him.

A very important and enjoyable meeting indeed. He couldn't wait to have Rory back with him.

* * *

"Hey. I've got bad news," Rory told him straight out when he took her call that night.

He sighed. He had expected this, despite hoping she wouldn't change her mind again. "You're not coming tomorrow after all but as previously planned," he stated resigned.

Rory was silent for a moment. "How did you figure that out?"

Logan shrugged. "You sound a lot happier than earlier on. I take it you talked with Lorelai after all, huh?"

"Yeah, she came by this afternoon and we talked, sorted it out. At least the worst of it," she confirmed his suspicion. So Lorelai had actually followed his advice. Wonder of wonders. Of course, she then probably talked Rory out of going to London ahead of schedule to punish him for the audacity of calling her and telling her what to do. "But why do you believe that this means I'm not coming as planned?"

He paused, suddenly uncertain. "I... I thought now that you and your Mom are okay again you perhaps want to spend as much time as possible with her until you've got to leave, do some of those rituals you two undoubtedly have."

"We agreed to do this after I've come back from London," Rory told him amused.

He quirked his eyebrows, getting his hopes back up. "Wait, are you telling me you're still coming tomorrow?"

And yeah, she actually laughed. "Of course I am. I told you, Logan… I'm coming sooner because I really want to be with you. Actually, I've already played with the idea for a week. My parents' wedding and the resulting fight with Mom was just the last straw for me to go through with it." She made a slight pause. "But it's good we talked before I left. This way I can truly enjoy the time with you and the holidays. You were right. And Mom stayed all afternoon, even helped me pack as you'll see to your pleasure."

"I will?" he asked, perking up.

"You bet. I told you already a millionth time that Mom got a talent for outfits. And as her mind's a lot dirtier than mine I'm positive you'll like the clothes I will find in my suitcase a lot more than the ones I had packed which Mom removed," she told him suggestively.

Shaking his head, Logan grinned. "I'm sure I shouldn't be displeased by that. I mean, it must be somehow sick that I think I'll enjoy what your _mother_ picked out for you to wear while you are with me."

"And I didn't even mention the negligees she talked me into packing as well," Ace laughed. "But don't worry. Mom's not a traditional mom after all."

"Nor are you a traditional girl," he nodded and tried not to get too excited about the prospect of seeing his Ace in those negligees then peel her out of. them His eyes checked his watch. "So you're at the airport now?"

"Yep, ready to board any minute now. Which means that in about eight hours, we finally see each other again," she answered with so much enthusiasm that Logan had to laugh.

"I can't wait anymore," he agreed. "But I don't get it. What were the bad news then that you mentioned."

"Ahhh..." Rory said knowingly. "Well, it's not that bad bad news. It's just that somehow, don't ask me how, Finn and Colin got wind of our plans and guess who's flying first class with me now?"

He groaned. "Aww man. Finn and Colin are coming as well?"

"You've got it," she replied wryly. "Just thought I'd warn you ahead."

"Don't they have their own plans?" he grumbled.

"Apparently not. Not even Finn, as it looks like the Theverboroughs can't make it to a big family gathering this year, and now he wants to spend the holidays with his second family, which means us. And Colin... you know his family better than me but apparently, spending the holidays with all of us in London is just the right way to spend the next two weeks," she answered with a soft chuckle. "So I fear it won't be just the cozy two of us. At least not for the next few days."

Logan sighed. He didn't mind to see his friends, not really. But he knew them. With them tagging along, their mind set on partying, they wouldn't leave him and Rory that much time alone, not without a long and tiring fight. But he wanted his private time with his girlfriend. Just the two of them. He had longed for that ever since leaving the States all those months ago. "They better not expect us to spend all the days and nights with them. And tomorrow, it's just you and me, you hear? They can ride with us into town but then they're on their own while I take you home. Got that?"

"I'll pass it along," she laughed. "And I like those plans very much."

"Ace, you don't even know half of it," Logan told her smugly.

"I'm sure of it," Rory replied dryly.

"Hey love, didn't you hear? Time to board. You can sweet talk with our boy later." Logan could hear in the background.

"Yeah, Finn, just... Hey!" he could then hear Rory protest. Next thing he knew, Finn was on the phone. "Mate? The longer you talk with your girl now, the longer it will take to actually see her. Now, what's better I ask you? Talk to her over the phone or have wild animal sex with her?"

"Finn!" Rory screeched in the background, followed by a slapping sound even Logan could hear, much to his pleasure.

"Aww! What was that for? I just tried to get his priorities straight!" Finn whined. "Which I'm sure are the same as yours."

Another slapping sound.

"Will you two stop it?" Colin's voice now joined them, hissing. "Or they won't let us board at all and right they would be. You two are worse than impossible children."

"Throw out first class passengers? I think not," Finn protested. "And even if they did, we'd just take the private plane. Should have taken it in the first place anyway."

"Well, you wanted to come with me, so behave now. And give me my phone back," Ace told him firmly. "Logan? Sorry. But may I remind you that they are _your_ friends, not mine."

"Why, thank you, Rory," Colin sneered.

"Yeah, love, how can you even say that?" Finn chimed in, using his best pouting voice. "Break my heart like that?"

Logan rolled his eyes and was sure, back in New York, that was what his Ace was doing as well. "Oh, stop it you two. Logan? You better have a coffee ready for me when you see us."

His grin widened. "Count on it, Ace." After eight hours stuck with his two best friends in a plane? Oh yeah, she definitely would need coffee. Rather, three or four mugs right away.

"I will. Okay, gotta go now. See you soon. God, how I love to say that. See you soon!" she sighed, giddily.

"Not more than I love to hear it. And Ace? A little advice, headphones and earplugs. Does wonders on drowning out the stooges."

"Good idea. I knew there was a reason why I love you," Rory laughed.

"And don't you forget that," he nodded with a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't," she answered, smiling. "Bye!"

"Yeah, bye. See you soon," Logan now said himself and reluctantly ended the call, grinning like a fool. Rory was right. It was really great saying that. Even better because it actually was true.

Eight more hours.

Eight more hours and his heart would finally be back in his arms, where she belonged.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: And another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it as well. As always, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. They make my day! I hope though you weren't too disappointed that he hadn't proposed yet. Soon though, I promise. As well as the next chapter.)_


	7. The Christmas Miracle

**Chapter 7: The Christmas Miracle**

_(At the airport)_

His eyes were drawn to her the moment she stepped out of the secured passengers-only zone and it seemed that it was the same for her because within seconds, their eyes locked. He moved through the masses, his eyes intent on his Ace, barely noticing anything else around him. Fortunately, she too had moved hastily forward and so they finally met halfway perhaps not two minutes after spotting each other.

"Logan!" she simply said and flew into his arms, much to his pleasure.

Pressing her as close as possible, he just held her for as long as he could, deeply inhaling her scent and letting himself believe that she really was finally there, in his arms again. Only then did he loosen up their embrace enough so that he could cup her face and draw her into a long, hungry kiss that was met with such a passion and longing from Rory that he simply forgot where they were, his world ceasing to exist other than being with Rory.

It was only when a heavy arm fell around his shoulder that he somehow came back to his senses, hearing a well known Australian drawl in his ear. "Now, I'm all for a good old peep show but I guess you and our love here would prefer to actually continue this in a bedroom, don't you think?"

With those words, Logan finally remembered where they were… in the middle of Heathrow. With hundreds of people around them. Shit. Feeling his body heat up even more, he reluctantly removed his hands from where they somehow had found their way not only into Rory's coat but also under her sweater, giving her a lopsided smile. Her eyes, still dazed like his own seconds before, slowly cleared and he laughed quietly as she immediately blushed furiously.

God, how he had missed her.

Though it was almost painful, he tore his eyes away from her to turn towards his two best friends, standing on both sides of him, shielding them at least a bit from everyone's curious eyes.

"Finn, Colin, good to see you guys," he welcomed them with a grin. "How's it going?"

"Apart from being unnerved by Rory's pining for you and a little sick by this disgustingly sweet reunion scene just now, good, thanks," Colin answered, rolling his eyes. His slight smile betrayed him though. "Not to mention that Finn here can be lucky that the red-headed stewardess, pardon me, flight attendant, didn't throw him out, causing us all to crash to death."

"I don't know what you mean. She totally fell for me," Finn protested indignantly and held up a paper napkin. "See, she even gave me her number."

Rolling her eyes and her clothes straightened once again, Rory snapped the napkin out of his hands. "Rather said she gave you the number of her lawyer so you don't want to call this number," she told Finn cynically and crumpled it, throwing it away.

"But love!" the Australian protested.

Ignoring his attics, she turned back to Logan. "My coffee," she demanded, holding out her hand.

Grinning, Logan reached behind and produced a very large cup of black coffee, that luckily had survived their welcome embrace and that was eagerly snatched away from him. "Milady, at your service. This will have to do until we're back in the car though." Her eyes narrowed over the rim of the cup and he hastily held up his hands. "But there is more of the black nectar awaiting you of course, I assure you."

She held his eyes a moment longer before she shrugged and let it go, instead turning her attention back to her coffee. Mesmerized, he watched as she inhaled the strong aroma deeply before she took her first sip, her eyes fluttering close and a blissful expression coming over her face.

Smiling, he shook his head. His Ace and her coffee... but he would never tire watching her drinking coffee, she was just too damn sexy doing it.

His arm back around Logan, Finn sighed. "God, that's hot. How can she make something so simple look that hot?" he wondered and Logan noticed he wasn't the only one mesmerized as Colin too nodded, his eyes watching Rory intently.

He gave Finn a slap upside down. "Eyes off," he growled good-naturedly. But he was surprised to actually indeed feel a tiny flicker of… discomfort. This was Finn. And Colin. His best friends, who loved Rory like their sister.

But still...

He didn't like them goggling his Ace. Then again, he didn't like anyone goggling her; the longer they have been together, the more it annoyed him. Which was ridiculous. His Ace was an exceptional beauty; she would always get stared at, no matter what. And he didn't mind other men admiring her. But not overdoing it. From a distance, of course. And not to mention that they should stay far, far away from her.

It was something he must get used to. Before Rory, he had never been jealous in his life. Why should he? He was beyond rich, there had almost been nothing he couldn't have. And not to mention that he was good looking. He had great friends and a great sister. True, he would have wanted better parents. And he had never liked the fact that his path in life has been predetermined for him… that he had no choice… his future position in the family firm always looming over him. But that was the case with most of his friends so there never had been reason to resent someone about something.

Then his Ace had come along and for the first time he had had something to lose. Not that he had admitted that to himself the first time jealousy had hit him hard, back at Finn's Tarantino party where Rory had shown up with _Robert_. He hadn't been able to stomach seeing him touch his Ace, his blood boiling at the mere thought. Thank God he knew that Rory wasn't the type who sleeps around. To this day he wasn't sure what he would have done if he had had reason to believe that she was going to actually sleep with the jerk when she had left the party with him not soon after refusing to leave with Logan instead, their dates be damned. It had scared the shit out of him. But it also had awaken him to the fact that she too could actually date other guys with how things were between them and that if he didn't want that, he'd had to do something about it. First he had monopolized her time, making sure that she simply didn't have time to date anyone else, as he had been still way too scared of commitment to just do the only sensible thing and go steady with her. No, that had needed another kick in the ass so to speak.

Nonetheless, he had to admit that he was after all the jealous type. Thank God he knew that Rory would never betray him. While she was with him, she was with him and before she'd do anything, she'd talk with him, of that he was sure. It enabled him to be more relaxed with other guys which he was glad for. Not just because Rory didn't appreciate him being overly jealous - but because he himself didn't like to be filled with such unhealthy bad feelings.

He felt eyes on him and looked up to see Finn and Colin's slight frown directed at him while Rory seemed rather amused. Shrugging it off, he pointed towards the exit. "Why don't we get a move on before Ace here runs out of coffee, huh?" he asked and, slipping his arm around Rory, started to lead them away. Looking over his shoulder at Finn, he smiled wickedly. "Finn, I'm sure you don't mind taking care of Ace's luggage, do you?" he suggested, his eyes starting to glint. "It's the least you can do in return for the show, yes?"

"Uff," he groaned a second later as a sharp elbow was rammed into his side and looked down at Rory who looked ahead though, innocence in person.

Behind them, Finn started to push the trolley with the baggage to follow them, shaking his head with a disgusted look. "Why always me?" he pouted.

* * *

_(Thursday, three days later)_

"We closed the deal!" Logan exclaimed the moment Ace picked up.

"What?"

"We closed the deal!" Logan repeated, downright giddy.

"You closed the deal? _The_ deal?" Rory asked, catching up and suddenly sounding as excited as he.

"Oh yeah, that deal," Logan nodded.

"Logan, that's fantastic!" she exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you, honey!"

He felt himself beaming at her words. It wasn't the first time she had told him that. And lately, other people had said this to him as well. But hearing it from her, it always meant more, warming his heart in a way he hadn't thought possible from such simple words.

"Listen, we're going to celebrate tonight," he told her. "Why don't you come as well? I want you with me tonight and this way, you could also finally meet my team. Believe me, after having their ears talked off about how great my girlfriend is, everyone's eager to meet you to assure themselves that you are human after all, just like them."

"You know I'd love to, but are you really sure?" Rory asked.

"Of course, Ace. Besides, after having to listen to me the past few months talking about this deal you more than deserve to be part of this party," Logan chuckled. "So get into your little dark blue sexy dress and tell the stooges that they're on their own tonight. Just tell the driver to bring you to The Cinnamon Club. He'll know where it is."

"The Cinnamon Club?" Rory repeated and let out a low whistle. "Not bad."

"Only the best for me, you know that," Logan smirked.

Rory snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I know. And what time do I need to be there to dazzle them?"

"Seven," Logan answered. "That okay with you?"

"Logan, you're talking to me, remember?" She had to roll her eyes with that tone, she just had to. "I know my gender is famous for needing hours to prepare themselves but let's be realistic… you need more time than me to get ready."

"Well, perfection takes time," Logan smirked. "Not everyone can be as naturally beautiful as you, my dearest Ace."

"Oh jeez, now you're just growing greasy," was her dry reply. "We better end this before you start to slime because then you can forget about having any kind of good time, at least with me."

He chuckled. "All right. See you later then. I promise to leave the slime in the trash."

"You do that," she replied. "Bye, Logan."

"Bye, Ace," he too said, and hang up, turning around with a wide grin.

He really couldn't wait to show off Rory. She was his better half and he thought it was time for the people around him to understand this. And perhaps he also wanted to see how she'd do on a business party. After all, if she said yes, she would have to attend a fair share of them. Not that he was worried. Rory was a natural at parties, blending in without problems, no matter if it were crazy young students or snobbish, rigid society people. Hell, she was a DAR girl, not that she had met much with them since going back to Yale. But she was still a member and he knew that occasionally, she would even attend meetings, much to her mother's and surprisingly also Emily's chagrin. Besides the fact that she could hold her own in pretty much every conversation, she was breathtakingly beautiful and had a kind heart that shone through her sparkling eyes. And he was the lucky guy who got to hold her hand.

Hopefully for the rest of their lives.

* * *

_(That night)_

"You're awfully quiet," Logan observed, glancing at Rory, sitting beside him. "Is everything all right?"

Actually, she had been astoundingly quiet ever since she joined him and his team for the party in The Cinnamon Club. Not that she had been rude, not at all. She had been charming, had engaged herself into a conversation when spoken to and he could tell that his people had definitely liked her. But if you had really known her then you knew that she had been a bit off during the entire party.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, everything's fine," she nodded and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Uh.. Huh.

_Fine._

Shaking his head, he sighed and turned her face towards him. "Rory."

"Really, it's nothing," she still protested though. He simply raised an eyebrow, waiting. Finally, she sighed, making a grimace. "It's stupid."

"I don't think so," he answered quietly. "Come on, Rory. Talk to me."

Her eyes found his and again she sighed. "It's just... you never mentioned that Bobby is actually a woman, you know? You always said Bobby, never using a pronoun either and I naturally assumed that Bobby is a man, like all the others. You do know that most people named Bobby are males, don't you?"

Confused, he could only stare at her. _What?_

In the meantime, her eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you tell me that Bobby is a she? Did you think I'd have a problem with that? Or..."

"Rory!" he interrupted her, giving her hand a hard squeeze as well. She quieted and glowered at him. He shook his head. "First of all, there's no reason why I didn't mention it. It never occurred to me, honestly. Second, if I had thought about it I would have had no problem at all telling you that Bobby is a woman. Because she's simply a co-worker, a good one at that. And third, you can't really be jealous of Bobby!" he exclaimed, still flabbergasted.

That, he really hadn't expected.

"I'm not jealous," she protested, holding up her head a bit higher. "I just think you could have mentioned the tiny little fact that your perfect assistant being a crucial part of your team is a woman. And not just a simple woman, oh no, a hot, intelligent, leggy blond twenty-something with perfect boobs that clearly has set her eyes on _my_ boyfriend."

His eyes widening even more, he could just shake his head again. "Ace, Jesus, don't be ridiculous." He knew immediately that that had been the wrong thing to say, with the fire that blazed out of his Ace's eyes, now solely directed at him. Very, very wrong.

"Oh sorry that me, stupid college girl thinks it important to know some vital information about the people surrounding my boyfriend while he's miles away from home," Rory said icily, drawing her hand out of his and turning to sit a bit away from him. "I'll see to it that I won't bother you with my immature worries again in the future."

"Come on, Ace, that's not at all..." He was interrupted by the car stopping. Rory, wasting no time, had been out the second the car stood still and he was already talking to an empty seat.

Muttering under his breath, he once again shook his head as he gave the driver his tip before he hurried after his girlfriend who had already vanished inside the building. He was also just a second too late to reach her in time before the elevator doors closed. Cursing, he punched the button for the elevator and paced impatiently in front of the doors.

What the hell had just happened? The day had been great so far, up until now, before Rory started to throw a fit out of the blue. What on earth had gotten into her? She couldn't be honestly threatened by Bobby, could she? Sure, he supposed Bobby was sexy, if you were interested. But that was the point. He wasn't. He was more than happy with his Ace; the ring, currently locked away in his safe, proof enough of that. And really, compared to Rory, Bobby could just pack her things. She didn't have that incredible beauty coming from deep inside that had him so captured since the first time he had laid eyes on his Ace. Well, the first time he actually remembered.

Finally, the elevator returned to the lobby. By the time he reached his penthouse apartment he wasn't surprised anymore to find her nowhere in sight. After a quick check around he detected that she had to be behind the closed bathroom door and indeed, he found the door even locked when he tried it.

Frustrated, he knocked at the door. "Rory! Come on, let's talk about this!" he called through the door.

No answer.

"Damn it, Ace, be reasonable!" he yelled, the frustration getting the better of him.

Of course it was the wrong thing to say.

And his only answer was the shower turning on.

Ugh!

* * *

_(Later that night)_

When she finally came out, Logan faced her, leaning against the bedroom door, his arms crossed, having calmed down a bit. "Can we talk now?" he asked, hoping not to sound too unnerved.

She gave him a look, but she didn't give him the cold shoulder as well, at least. Looked like she was finally ready to listen.

All right. "You have no reason to be jealous of Bobby. Bobby means nothing to me other than that she's a competent co-worker who really helps me with my work load so I have a little more free time," he told her. "Time I spend with you."

Putting her dress back into the closet, Rory closed the door a little more forcefully than necessary and turned to face him. "I told you, I'm not jealous."

"Right," he snorted. "That's why you blew up just now, because you're_ not_ jealous."

"I'm not!" Rory insisted, her eyes firing up once again.

Logan ignored her. "I don't get it. We've talked about this. I thought you trusted me. You _said_ you trusted me. So why come now and suddenly feel threatened by someone who's not even playing in your league?"

"Damn it, Logan, don't you listen? I told you, I'm not jealous!" Rory hissed and walked over in front of him, her balled fists on her hips. "I _do_ trust you. I know you have nothing going on with little Ms. Perfect with her perfect long killer legs."

"Then what is the problem?" Logan exclaimed, exasperated.

Women! Someone should be able to understand them one day!

"_She_ is! Just because you're not interested doesn't mean she wouldn't mind hooking up with the young, rich and hot new boss!" Rory cried out, pointing outwards. "First she treats me like I'm nothing else but a joke, always putting me down whenever she could, then she constantly calls us sweet and if that's not enough she's all over you the entire evening!"

Incredulous, Logan threw up his arms. "What the hell are you talking about? I was with you the entire time and she never said anything else to you but nice things. Nor can I remember having her all over me, something I'm pretty sure I'd notice. And what's wrong with sweet?" he asked lastly, truly puzzled by that.

"Are you kidding me?" Rory demanded to know, disbelieving. "'Oh, it must be so great to have so much time to read just for fun'," she quoted sarcastically. "'Ah, the good old college days, what fun did I have then' or a classic had also been: 'What a charming little task' about me being the editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News. The nerve of her! Little task. Ha! For her information, a position like that doesn't just entail hard work, it's also very important. It's _Yale_ for heaven's sake!"

He didn't dare to point out that he couldn't hear anything wrong with those quotes. Then again, he had to admit that the tone Rory said them mimicking Bobby was a tad deriding. He frowned.

"But I could live with that, even with all her repeated _'sweet_s..."

Okay, that was it. "_What_ is wrong with sweet?!"

Her eyes narrowed, looking at him skeptically . "Excuse me? What is not wrong with sweet? We aren't sweet! Puppies and kittens are sweet. Twelve-years-old kids sharing their first kiss are sweet. An eighty-year-old couple dancing with each other is sweet. But a steady couple who is in a very serious relationship is not _sweet_! Not that I'm surprised. After all, I'm nothing else but a cheap girl, just slightly above a school girl. I bet she thinks I was a cheerleader. So of course you can't be serious with me."

"Rory..."

"But okay, I can live with that also. I mean, I know you don't think of me like that. We know the truth. But that she had the audacity marking you… that was just too much," she continued though, her eyes shooting daggers. "I swear to you, if we hadn't left, I'd have tripped the waiter so the next tray of champagne could go all over her," she promised darkly.

Logan didn't even know where to begin, so he just addressed the first thing coming to mind. "_Marking me_?" he repeated, flabbergasted.

"Oh please, don't tell me you didn't notice how she found an excuse to touch you all the time, a hand briefly on your arm or your back, sounding all intimate. 'Logan, don't forget to take the Olsen statistic with you tomorrow' or 'And before I forget, Thompson would like to talk to both of us before the holiday', not to mention that she had the nerve to order for you your coffee!"

"And that's really a terrible affront," he nodded, finally deciding to give up arguing and just go with sarcasm. Sometimes, that deflated her the most.

She just nodded though vigorously. "Exactly. Just so I know that she knows such an important thing about you and can order it with obvious ease. I could have thrown her caffeine-free cappuccino into her stupid smiling face. As if I don't know what you like to drink or not. By the way, she got it wrong," she told him, crossing her arms. "You only take coffee with two creams and one sugar during the day, mostly in the morning and early afternoon. In the late afternoon or early evening you prefer a latte macchiato or a cappuccino. And after dinner it's either an espresso with two sugars or with a drop of whiskey in it."

He couldn't help it. He just had to smile. But God, she was so damn cute with her jealousy. And hearing her listing all the things she knew about him was a pretty good turn on. So he cautiously stepped forward and slowly encircled her waist, kissing her forehead. "Then again, it definitely wouldn't be good if she knew my coffee habits so well, right?"

"Only thing that saved her," she grumbled but looked up at him through her eyelashes, the fire finally dying in her eyes. "I'm not surprised you didn't catch on. You're just a guy after all. She was still too subtle for dumbheads like you I guess."

"Or _perhaps_ you're just a tad bit overreacting here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She stiffened in his arms but he tightened his hold on her. "I mean, I'm not exactly a novice with girls. Trust me, I know when a girl is coming on to me. Bobby never did. Or I would have dealt with it, immediately. As it is, I made it very clear right from the first day that I'm off the market and very happy with my girlfriend. You."

She looked up at him fully now, her arms slowly uncrossing for her hands to come to rest on the arms holding her. "You don't have to remind me of your history with girls. I remember perfectly well, thank you very much," she said, her nose wrinkling. Then she grew serious though. "But this is another kind of woman we're talking about. Trust me. Bobby wants you. And the first opportunity she sees opening, she'll be more forward with her advances. Perhaps it will be after we had a bad fight, you all defensive and angry or sad or whatever and she'll be all understanding and before you know it, she'll kiss you."

"Even if you're right, it still takes two to tango and I already told you that I'm not going to make that mistake ever again," Logan reminded her, shaking his head. "But I really think you're wrong about Bobby, Ace. She never showed even the slightest interest in me. Trust me."

She smiled. "I'm really flattered, Logan. That our relationship makes you so blind against so obvious flirting." Her arms slid up his arms and came to be entwined behind his neck. "I really appreciate that. Just be careful with her though, okay? And it wouldn't hurt if you emphasize a few times more just how very much together you are with me. That I'm neither the old college girlfriend you intend to get rid off anytime soon nor a dumb gold digger living on your expenses."

His eyebrow rose higher. "Well, that should be no problem. I always love boasting about you. But where did the gold digger come from?"

She shook her head. "Just something she said while we met in the girls' restroom. Because of course she had to follow me there."

He frowned. "What did she say?" he wanted to know.

"Oh, nothing, really," she sighed. "She just made a comment about how easy I have it with living in a penthouse you're paying for."

His frown deepened. Now that was definitely out of line. And how did Bobby know that anyway? She had access to the finances of the firm, at least this branch, but he handled his private finances on his own. The only way to get that information was that she was either told by someone, though he couldn't imagine who that could be, or she had snooped around. Perhaps his Ace was on something after all.

"Like said, it's no big deal," Rory said, her hold on him tightening. "But other than that it was a nice evening, Logan. The guys are really nice. And Mark seems to have a wicked sense of humor. No wonder the Olsens finally agreed to the sell. Who could say no to such power guys?"

"Now you're mocking me," he pouted, couldn't help the smile though. He was glad that she had at least liked the guys.

"I would never!" she protested, starting to smile as well.

He leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "You so would," he retorted. "Hey Ace, why don't you repeat that part about my coffee habits again?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why? Did it turn you on?" she asked knowingly. "Perhaps I should rather list what I know about the things that turn you on?" she suggested, moving closer to him, rubbing at his more and more hardening length.

"Hmm," he nodded, trailing small kisses along her collar bone to that soft, sensitive spot on her neck that made her always gasp when he touched it with his mouth.

"There would be intimate knowledge for one," she started. "Me reading. Me studying. Me eating. Me drinking coffee." There was the gasp he had aimed for. "And you like it when I'm annoyed. Or when you can rile me up. I get angry with you just like now and you get a hard on." To make her point, she pushed against his hard on, causing him to groan. But her voice had dropped as well as she continued. "Let's not forget the real good parts: Me outsmarting you. Me being outsmarted by you. Me dressed in a hot little dress like tonight. Me dressed in a sexy negligee like last night. Me naked."

"God, yes," he agreed whole heartedly and moved his hands to impatiently open the bathrobe she had on and moaned contentedly when he found she was wearing nothing beneath the soft cotton but her naked glory.

She laughed throatily and unlocked her hands around his necks so he could slid the robe off her, starting to busy herself undressing him. "And then there are the real meaningful things. Me telling you how proud I am of you or how much I trust you…your body, heart and soul with my body, heart, and soul," she all but whispered, her eyes shining softly at him as he paused his exploration of her neck to gaze at her intently, words completely gone from his mind. "But my absolute favorite is how it affects you when I tell you how much I love you," she continued, even more softly, caressing his cheek. "I love you, Logan."

Finally, a word made it back into his consciousness. "Rory..." he murmured and returned to her mouth to claim her in a long, deeply passionate and drowning kiss, while he scooped her up and carried her over to the bed.

She laughed quietly. "See," she whispered into his ear before nibbling at his earlobe teasingly.

Any comprehensible words may have fled his mind but then, he always had been better at showing her his love rather than communicating it to her.

* * *

_(Christmas Eve, another three days later)_

"No, no, no, the star needs to be at the top!" Rory insisted, her tone suggesting that no one should contradict her, a clear warning for even the dumbest fellow.

Then again, when had Finn ever listened to reason? "No, the angel is supposed to be at the top!"

"You're both wrong! It's this one here, whatever this is!" Colin chimed in.

In the kitchen, Logan just rolled his eyes. This has been going on since shortly after lunch when they had begun to set up the tree. He thanked his lucky stars for being the only one among the four who could decently cook, therefore, he was designated as the 'chef' to prepare their festive meal after Rory had insisted celebrating Christmas Eve at home and not go out to a fancy restaurant like the guys had wanted to.

Like they were used to.

Truthfully, Logan liked the idea. For the first time in his life he felt like he would have a real Christmas and not just a meaningless and stiff celebration that was forced to everyone by the calendar. All thanks to his Ace of course. When she had found out about the original plans she had been aghast. Then she had taken matters in her own hands. The very next day they had gone out to buy a Christmas tree, Christmas decorations for said tree, Christmas decorations for the apartment, a ridiculous amount of Christmas cookies (no one had enough confidence to bake the Christmas cookies but Finn and Finn was banned from the kitchen; he was only allowed to prepare the eggnog and mix the punch), nuts and fruits, not to mention candles, lights for the windows and the terrace, another tree for the terrace, more decorations and lights for the outside tree. And then, she had sent them all on individual gift shopping trips with the order to bring back at least five(!) presents for each of them, the rule was that the total cost of each individual's purchases should not exceed a hundred (!!!) bucks. He didn't know about Finn and Colin, but he had spent far more than a hundred bucks. Being reasonable he had stayed under a thousand dollars though. Of course that didn't include the gifts he had already bought before that. His Ace would just have to live with that.

All in all, this Christmas would have sent him to the poor house if he was a guy of average means but he was lucky enough to be more than rich.

And now they were setting up everything for the big night. The terrace had been done astonishingly quick, perhaps because they had left Finn and Colin free reign there while Rory had taken charge herself with the task of decorating the apartment. That too had gone over quickly and now the apartment looked like an advertisement straight out from Christmas Wonderland.

They had decided that all of them would decorate the indoor tree. That was three hours ago. The last time Logan had checked, in the last twenty minutes, the only thing accomplished was that they had agreed where to place the tree in the apartment. The tree itself was still undecorated so far. Rory once again had lectured them that they should put the top on first. Too bad they couldn't agree on which ornament to crown the tree with. But by the discussion going on among the three about which piece of ornament is suitable, they would still be at it come Easter. If they hurried. The tree was almost ten feet high and they had bought several dozens tree ornaments.

"Ugh, I'm ending this discussion now!" Rory's voice drifted into the kitchen, along with a vehement stump. "Without me we wouldn't have a tree at all. Not to mention a real Christmas. So it's my star that's going to be on top and that's it. Discussion over."

"Fine, I admit that that's an argument. But only if I get to decide the rest of the decoration scheme," Finn conceded.

"No way! Why should you have the say so? Everyone knows I'm much better at colors than you!" Colin immediately protested.

"Excuse me, but who's a boring lawyer here and who's working in the art business, huh?" Finn laughed. "We're not going to have a precisely measured out decorated tree!"

"Oh, but a wild one without a theme at all is better then?" Colin gave back with a sneer.

"Enough! This is supposed to be fun for heaven's sake!" Rory interrupted them and Logan listened up. Looked like she definitely was fed up with them now. "Colin, you get the third facing the chimney, Finn, you take the window side and I'm taking the couch side. Each decorates to his heart's desire. I don't want to hear another word of discussion about this. Just remember that the outsides are reserved for the candles, so be mindful of that when you hang up something."

"Hey, who declared you the boss?" Colin grumbled.

"Yeah, can't remember to have ever agreed on that," Finn agreed.

Shaking his head, Logan called out. "Me! _I_ declare her boss. This is my home, I've paid for the tree and all the decorations and Ace's my girlfriend therefore the mistress of this household which makes you her minions. Got it? Now decorate that stupid tree. We're going to eat at seven o'clock and that tree better be finished by then."

"That's so not fair!" Colin protested but Logan heard rustling and Logan hoped it meant that he was starting to decorate.

"So right you are! Just because she's sleeping with him doesn't give her the right to simply take over," Finn grumbled as well, but more paper rustled at least. "If it comes down to it, the two of us probably slept with him more over the years than Reporter Girl here."

"Finn!" Logan hissed, putting the knife down and turning, ready to go out.

Rory coming through the door though intercepted those plans… at least for the moment. She wore an amused smile and raised an eyebrow at him. "Wanna tell me something, honey?"

"Just ignore them," he muttered and turned back to the various pots on the stove.

She came over to him and slipped her arms around him to lean at his back. "A six foot high Australian and a tight-assed lawyer are kind of hard to ignore, especially when they can't seem to stop yapping around. But look at the positive side… no children could be worse than them so we'll have excellent training once that time comes. It will be peanuts for us."

His heart stopped beating for a moment before it rushed forward with excitement. Children! Okay, they were way too young for children yet and he probably should panic. But if he wanted to be honest he couldn't wait until a couple of kids was running around them, driving them nuts, and bursting up with excitement over Christmas. Swallowing, he turned around to kiss Rory.

"You're forgetting something, Ace," he pointed out with a smile once he let her go again to turn back around. The soup needed some steering. "When that time comes I bet we'll still have Finn and Colin around. And especially Finn has a very bad influence on children. I've seen it when we were at his cousin's for Christmas once, a few years back. They had three children and Finn managed to turn them into wild animals within hours."

"Ugh..." she groaned and let her head fall against his back.

"Hey, Rory, if you don't come back here we'll have no qualms whatsoever taking over your part of the tree as well," Colin called out.

"Yeah, and don't think we'll let that ridiculous star up there then!" Finn too called out.

"I'm coming! Just a second. Jeez!" Rory told them, grinding her teeth then turned back to Logan, a suffering pout on her face.

"I know, I know," Logan nodded, knowingly. "My friends."

"Exactly," she replied darkly and with a last suffering glance at him, turned with a heavy sigh and went back into the living room to join the stooges.

"Hey! Give me that! I want that!" Finn's piercing, whining voice carried over.

"No! I had it first! Besides, I need it! It matches perfectly with the snowman and the bird here," Colin loudly protested.

Shaking his head, Logan turned back to the pots. Thank God he could cook and was assigned in the kitchen. At least this way he wasn't out in that insanity but only had to listen to it. Poor Ace. Of course she had brought that onto herself on her own.

This was probably going to be a very long day and night.

Of course, Logan loved it. Every second of it and he wouldn't want it any other way.

Actually, he'd be the happiest man ever if this Christmas was only going to be the first of many, many more.

* * *

_(Later that night)_

Stirring slightly from a deep, contented sleep, he immediately sensed that he was alone in bed. Really waking up with that realization, he opened his eyes and waited for a moment to adjust to the darkness in the room before he looked around.

No Ace.

The door to the bathroom was open and it was dark, so that wasn't where she was either. Getting up, he went to the door.

Ah, there she was, curled up on the couch in front of the Christmas tree. She had even changed the burned down candles from earlier with new ones and had lit them. Curious as to why she had done that or why she was even up at all, he quietly walked over to her. His curiosity was answered even before he reached her and she didn't even notice him coming from behind.

"Jeez, Mom, could you take any longer lighting the candles? Mine are almost burned down in the meantime," she joked.

Slowing down, he leaned against the wall leading from the corridor into the living room. Perhaps he shouldn't eavesdrop, but he never had claimed to be perfect - or a saint for that matter.

"Yeah well, is it my fault that I'm five hours ahead and already had a perfect Christmas Eve?" asked Rory with heavy mock in her voice. Then she listened for a moment. "Oh yeah, Mom, it was beautiful. Okay, Finn and Colin were a bit nerve wrecking, at least with decorating the tree, but as soon as we finished, Logan served us dinner which was really good," she told her mother.

"Hmm? Of course it was. Logan is a good cook, you know that." A slight pause. "Yes, he can cook more than lobster. Well, if you absolutely need to know we had mushroom soup for starters, then a simply delicious duck and for dessert we've bought a Christmas roll pie and a chocolate cake in case we didn't like the pie. We needn't have worried though."

"Perhaps," she then laughed. "Have you been a good girl? I mean an original English Christmas Pie is not just for everyone?" Another slight pause. "Ugh, stop! I don't need to hear more. You definitely don't deserve the pie. But because I know you won't stop pestering me and never forgive me if I don't bring you a pie you'll get it, anyway."

Smiling, Logan shook his head. He'd have to see to it that a pie would be sent by FedEx or UPS. He doubted Rory could still get one by the end of their holidays.

"Yeah, of course we did, but the boys cheated! They totally exceeded the hundred dollar limit! I wouldn't be surprised if they spent thousands for their gifts. And there I was with my little cheap presents. I could have killed them!" ranted Rory now.

His smile deepening, Logan remembered only too well her growing annoyance but also discomfort when more and more presents were unwrapped and it was easily evident that he hadn't been the only one ignoring the limit. Personally, he loved Rory's presents though, no matter how much they had cost. The out-of-print music disc of the Stereophonics which he had been searching for quite a while, the key ring in the form of a sea-shell reminded him of their time at the Vineyard, the pen and little notebook was classic and spoke to his reporter's heart, the little guide of things you don't want to eat in Asia had him laughing out loud and the framed picture of Judy Dench was just hilarious. They were intimate, every single one of them and the gifts for Finn and Colin had been the same. His friends were touched and were blown away by every gift she gave them.

Yeah. Perhaps, next year he'd actually try to keep the limit. This wasn't easy though. He was used to spending money and not putting very much thought into it. Searching for the right presents like Rory had given him was hard work he supposed. Gifts from Rory… priceless…he was sure of that.

He listened up when Rory spoke again, more softly, more hesitantly. "No, not yet. I'm still not sure it's such a great idea at all." She paused for a moment, no doubt listening to whatever Lorelai told her, giving Logan time to wonder what she was talking about, a slight frown appearing on his face. "Perhaps you're right, but I dunno, I'm not so sure. I mean, he could totally misunderstand it and I really don't want that." Logan's frown deepened. He was sure she was talking about him, but what the heck was she talking about? "Yeah, I know, I probably will. But I certainly didn't want to do it in front of the other guys. When I give it to him, I'll do it when it's just the two of us."

Deep in thought, Logan looked back towards the bedroom. So, if he had understood her well, she still had a present for him that she hadn't wanted to give him in front of Finn and Colin. He could understand that. He too had still one that he had wanted to give her in private rather than in front of his friends. What really puzzled him was that she was apparently unsure of her gift for him. But why? She should know by now that he loved everything that came from her.

When she continued again, her voice had perked up. "Oh yeah and they are great! First, he gave me a pair of earrings and a bracelet that matches the locket he got me for my birthday," she told Lorelai and Logan was glad to hear the joy in her voice. Even more, he was pleased to see that she wore the locket every day. She sometimes changed it with another necklace that was more suitable with her outfit when going out, but for her everyday wear or for just hanging out casually it was always the locket that decorated her neck. That knowledge filled him with a strange mixture of pride, possessiveness and gratitude. "And he also bought a live web cam for me and himself so from now on, we'll be able to see each other when we call one another from home," Rory continued, excitedly.

Logan was glad. He had had a little doubt if she really was going to like the web cam, fearing she would feel it like too much of an intrusion of her privacy. He needn't have worried. She had been as excited about the prospect to at least see each other more regularly again as he was.

"Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself," Rory mentioned at that moment and smiling, Logan shook his head. He would hopefully never get used to Rory and her Mom talking about their sex lives so easily. It just was wrong. "And are you and Dad going to celebrate in any way?"

Leaving her to her conversation, Logan slipped quietly into the kitchen and started to make Rory a cup of hot cocoa, knowing that she liked something hot and sweet, late at night or early in the morning, depending on her mood.

Once the chocolate drink was ready, he left the kitchen to go join Rory on the couch. Her eyes lit up with surprise but also with appreciation when she saw him coming with the steaming cups in his hands.

"Poor Paul Anka. But then, I guess we should have expected him to be afraid of the Christmas tree. And candles," she said and reached out to take her cup from him, mouthing a thank you at him. "Let's face it, he's a big chicken head. Everything scares him." She listened for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure it's me and not Paul Anka at all."

Logan sat down beside her and sipped at his own cup, making a face though. Still too hot for his taste. He liked them just on the warm side, not steaming like Rory's preference.

"Hmm, I will. And greet Sookie and Jackson from me and give the kids a kiss from me. Oh, and you won't forget to pass by Lane and Zack to give them my Christmas present, will you?" she asked, obviously coming to the end of the conversation. She laughed. "But you make such a good Christmas elf. Besides, it's not my fault that they've screwed up my order and only managed to deliver it day before yesterday, otherwise I'd have brought it to Lane myself. You've got to take a picture of their faces for me, don't forget that!" She listened for a moment, then laughed again, shaking her head. "Yeah, yeah. Okay, tell Dad hi and enjoy the non Christmas' Eve evening." Listening for a moment longer, she finally ended the call and put the phone away, smiling. Then she turned towards him. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Logan shook his head. "Not at all. I just woke up and you weren't there. So I came investigating your whereabouts." Of course one could argue that he only woke up because he had sensed the loss of her presence beside him, he guessed. "How's Stars Hollow?"

"Fine. It has snowed again last night and all this morning, so they have a truly white Christmas now. Basically, it's all the same more or less," she answered and took a careful sip of the chocolate drink. "Thanks for the hot cocoa. It's just what I wanted right now."

Smiling, Logan took his cup and moved so that Rory could lean against him while he held her loosely with his free arm. "I figured. And your parents? How are they holding up not celebrating Christmas?"

"Badly. As everyone knows that I'm not home and plus that it's their first Christmas together as a couple they all invited them for a dinner here or a brunch there. Tonight it's Sookie and Jackson. And they'll go by Lane and Zack for me," Rory told him, cuddling up more into his arms.

He remembered her comment at the end of the conversation with her mother as he took a sip of his cocoa. Much better. "What did you buy them?" he asked, curiously.

Looking up, her eyes gleamed mischievously. "A baby guitar and baby drums among other things. I know it's a bit early and the twins have not been born yet, but as I'm going to be godmother I thought I can start early with the presents. And considering who the parents are, I bet those two will play music before they even learn to speak. I thought I'll see to it that they at least can do it properly."

Logan laughed. "I'm sure Lane and Zack will thank you once they start 'playing'."

"I'm sure of it. But I hope it will cheer up Lane a bit. She's taking the break from her drums because she is so pregnant pretty hard and then later, she will have her hands full with two babies at the same time," Rory said with a sigh and leaned her head against his shoulder while drawing his arm closer around her. "But I think it will be okay. She's strong, she has proven that several times by now. And I'm sure she'll return to the stage as soon as she can. Luckily it's not like Zack wants her to quit drumming at all."

Sensing that they were entering dangerous territory, Logan changed the topic. They had talked about kids already and he thought it was better to let it rest as it was until the question of kids became real for them in a few years. That was, if she said yes.

"I have something for you," he whispered into her ear as he put away the now empty cup and reluctantly disentangled himself from her while she looked at him questioningly. "Wait here," he told her and quickly went back to the bedroom. A minute later he was back and resumed his position behind her, settling her back into his arms. Only then did he hold out the elegantly wrapped gift to her.

"Logan, you already gave me so much," she protested but was already at tearing away the wrap. He just smiled and kissed her bare shoulder while he waited. "What... Oh..." Rory sighed, tentatively running a finger over the smooth surface. "Logan... it's beautiful."

Logan looked at the photograph of them lasered into crystal, carefully framed with silver, and could only agree. That's why he had picked it out. It showed them on the beach at the Vineyard, unaware that Lorelai took a picture of them… catching a moment of utter intimacy, Rory and Logan facing each other, gazing into each other's eyes, his hand cupping her face, her hands loosely at his hips, about to kiss. Lorelai must have seen them from the terrace and grabbed the nearest camera available which luckily had been Logan's to take the picture, never mentioning it to them though. Considering the stress she had had that weekend with Luke, he could understand it. When he had removed the memory stick from the camera to transfer the pictures to his computer a few months after Valentine's Day, after Rory had learned about the damn bridesmaids and their relationship had been so strained, he had been quite surprised to find the picture. Blindsided would describe it better. He was taken aback not only by the pure love that the picture represented, especially how obviously in love he was in that picture, but also by the hint of a much deeper and intense joy and happiness that could be seen with their glowing faces in the picture.

For the first time he consciously had thought that he was looking at a picture of himself and his future wife. Considering the state of their relationship at that moment, that thought had been quite wishful, a surprise. Not to mention that it had scared the hell out of him. He hadn't thought that he was ready to think about marriage yet, despite the fact that graduation was only weeks away and that he was leaving the country to go work in London. Especially because of the looming separation from Rory. But that picture… it was utterly natural, showing their naked emotions without any doubts or problems surrounding them. Showing their love for each other and a promise of even more.

He loved the picture. And he had hid it well until just the right moment to give to Rory.

"But where..." she breathed, still mesmerized by the beauty of the picture and the moment it had caught.

"I guess Lorelai. I found it a few months later," he explained quietly, tightening his hold on her. "I debated giving it to you for your birthday, but I wanted to be with you when you get this gift because I want to see your reaction, so I waited until now. A duplicate of this usually stands on my night table." He smiled. "I guess I now can put it back to its place."

Carefully putting the silver-framed photograph on the coffee table, she leaned back and reached up to lower his head towards her to give him a long, deep kiss. "Thank you," she finally said very quietly, her eyes never leaving his. "It's beautiful. Perfect. I love it."

He just nodded and gave her another kiss. "And I promise next year, we'll celebrate Christmas in Stars Hollow," he promised after kissing her.

Her eyes widened and she sat up a bit in order to face him. "Logan, no, it was beautiful so far! Don't think..."

He silenced her with a finger on her lips. "I know you enjoyed it so far. And so did I, very much. But don't tell me you don't want to rather be home in Stars Hollow, with your Mom and all your friends there," he told her quietly. It didn't take a genius to see that she missed being home and celebrating with Lorelai. The more he was thankful that she had decided to be with him this year. Still...

She opened her mouth to protest and he just gave her a look. Deflated, she sighed and shrugged. "Okay, perhaps I miss the typical Stars Hollow Christmas craze. And yeah, it's strange not celebrating with Mom. This is the first time ever we don't celebrate with each other. But..." she bit her lip and caught his eyes. "It would have been wrong not to be with you either. I loved this last evening and I even also enjoyed having Finn and Colin with us. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this either."

Logan nodded. "Good. So next year, the two of us are going to be in Stars Hollow for Christmas, no matter what, celebrating with your Mom and Dad and all the other people you always talk about. And if Finn and Colin want to, they're welcome to join us there. Deal?"

Her eyes started to shine but she still held back. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious," Logan assured her with a smile.

She still hesitated though. "But what about your family? We don't know where you'll be and I..."

"Rory," he interrupted her, taking her hands into his. "I told you before… it doesn't matter. We decide here and now that next Christmas we will be in Stars Hollow and then we stick to it, come what may."

She was quiet for a while, just looking at him, before she finally nodded slowly. "Okay."

Logan nodded decisively and gave her a smile. "Now that's settled, why don't we return to bed, you can thank me properly for your last present and then we might even get some more shut eyes before the lunatics rise again?"

But she tightened her hands around his. "In a minute. First, there's something I want to give you as well," she said sincerely and bend to take something from under the couch. A small blue box, simply wrapped with a silver bow around it. Not wanting to look at Logan right away, she looked down at the small box which she was still holding in her hands. He raised an eyebrow.

Just when he was about to make a comment to lighten her up, she finally looked up, hesitantly meeting his eyes. "I thought that perhaps we could... I mean, don't think I expect something or such a thing, it's just..." She stopped and cringed, shaking her head a little as her nose wrinkled a bit. At last, she held out the box to him. "Just look at it and say what you think. But please don't misunderstand this. It's not that I want to say anything with that... oh hell, just look at it," she finally just mumbled, looking away again.

His curiosity for sure peaked now, he regarded her furiously blushing form for a moment longer before he turned his eyes to the little box and carefully removed the ribbon before slowly opening the box. His eyes widened when the contents was finally revealed and its meaning slowly sank in.

"I really don't want to hint anything here or put any pressure on you or us, so please don't panic," Rory spoke up again, quietly, and he could feel her intense gaze on him. "But... that bimbo you mentioned a while back got me thinking, then there were the guys back home that sometimes were a bit a nuisance because they just didn't want to get the picture and now Bobby... I just thought that maybe you'll agree to..."

Logan looked up, searching her eyes, having a hard time to fight the grin. She was just too damn cute, squirming and blushing like that. "To make it more official?" he asked softly.

Her blush deepened and once again, her eyes looked downward. "Well, yeah. But it's not like an engagement or something like that. And you don't wear them on the wedding ring finger either..."

"Ace," he interrupted her rambling before it got out of hand.

She stopped and looked back at him, almost timidly. He allowed himself a smile. "I'm a man of the world and well educated. I am familiar with the concept of friendship rings," he told her, not being able to help at least a little smirk.

"Oh..." Her eyes shot briefly down to the two platinum rings on the white velvet, then back at him. "So... you don't mind?" she asked nervously.

He looked back down at the rings. They were simple but tastefully designed, hers smaller and a bit more feminine while his was a bit broader. But they obviously matched and belonged together.

"I just thought that it was kind of a cool idea and I believe it will make life at least a little bit easier for us," Rory continued, her nervousness growing. "I know they are not like wedding rings, far from it, but..."

Again he locked his eyes with hers. "But they still are a clear statement that while we're neither married nor engaged, we're still most definitely off the market so back off or even better, don't even bother to try?" he asked knowingly, his voice very quiet and sincere.

She took a deep breath, but this time she held his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, pretty much like that. And I think it's also a promise perhaps. That we love each other. That we're together, no matter the distance." She hesitated, taking another deep breath. "And that it's serious and not just a fling. That this is real and… that we're in for the long run?" The last was more a whispered question than anything else.

Caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers, he smiled warmly, deeply from his heart. "That sounds about right for me as well," he agreed.

She reached up to cover his hand with her own. "So?"

Laughing quietly, Logan held out his hand. "So I believe that since the ring is your gift for me, I guess you're supposed to slip the ring onto my finger now."

Her eyes shone like stars, but she raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit very much against tradition?"

He shrugged. "Hey, don't ask me. You went and bought us rings, so tradition demands that you're the one to slip the ring on," he told her with a grin.

Shaking her head, Rory took the bigger of the rings and slowly slid it on, her eyes never looking away from his. It fit perfectly, not that he was surprised about that. It would be interesting to know how she had known the right size though. Before she could reach out for her matching ring he intercepted her though, taking hold of her hand and mirroring her action, he slid the ring onto her finger, his eyes locked with hers.

She took a deep breath and gave him a somewhat trembling smile. "Are we supposed to say something?"

He laughed but he had to notice that his laugh too was a tad on the shaky side. "I dunno. But I think everything has already been said. And we know we love each other." Getting a grip on himself, he forced himself to relax and send her a wolf grin. "All that's left to do is to seal this with having incredible, mind blowing sex."

Rory too laughed, relaxing a bit. "Do we, huh? Then again, we always have incredible, mind blowing sex so I'm not sure that's the right way to make this moment even more special."

"Ace, great sex is always perfect to memorialize any event," Logan told her but raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind then?" he wanted to know, curiously.

She smiled charmingly and then turned and settled her back against his chest, pulling his arms back around her and leaned her head against his shoulder while entwining her fingers with his. "To stay here, like this, for a moment longer and watch the candles burn down and then go back to bed to make sweet, tender, long and passionate love to each other," she answered with a contented sigh, looking up at him almost pleadingly.

Tightening his hold on her, Logan didn't need to think long about her suggestion. "Fine with me," he answered quietly and kissed her forehead before making himself a bit more comfortable.

For a long while, they just half sat, half laid like that on the couch, happy to be in each other arms, quietly watching the candles burn, lazily caressing the other from time to time.

"This would be a nice tradition, don't you think?" Rory spoke up quietly eventually. "On Christmas Eve, we celebrate with the family and friends, have fun..."

"And at the wee hours of the morning, we come back, light a few new candles, and have our very own, private Christmas, just the two of us," he finished as quietly, knowing exactly what she meant. His gaze wandered at their entwined hands, the fingers with the friendship rings lying beside each other, slightly clinking against each other from time to time and he felt his chest tighten with an indescribable feeling of sheer joy and happiness, and most of all, a strong sense of belonging, a notion of the future that lay ahead of them… the promise of a future together… just pure joy and happiness. "Yeah, I'd like that very much," he added, his voice raw with emotion.

She looked up at him and reached up a bit to kiss his cheek lightly. "Then let's do it. Let's make this our Christmas tradition from now on."

"Deal," he nodded then turned his head and bent down to kiss her deeply, sealing the deal.

If only she knew just how serious he was here... to think that she had been this nervous about those friendship rings. He could understand it though. Clearly, she had no idea about the ring locked away in his safe… he was just waiting for the right moment to propose to her and give her the ring. So she couldn't know just how much her gift meant to him, how even his last and slightest doubt had been washed away the moment his eyes had fallen on those rings. With those rings she had proven to him in no uncertain terms that she was as committed to their relationship as he was and that she too wanted more… a relationship for life… a future together.

Of course he was still nervous about actually proposing to her but he figured that that was the only way for it to be. But he also was almost a hundred percent sure that her answer was going to be yes and that next Christmas, they indeed would follow this new tradition for themselves, with the exception that by then they would be wearing a different set of rings, on their left hands. And perhaps, in a few years, it wouldn't just be the two of them. And much, much later he could even see them sitting like that in front of another Christmas tree, both wrinkled and white haired, cuddled on the couch together and enjoying their very own little private Christmas moment.

But he was _sure_, that he held his future right there in his arms at that moment… nothing could have made him happier than that or nobody could have given him a better Christmas present than that. Or rather said… a miracle… because that was what it was:

His very own little Christmas miracle.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Uff... Who'd have thought that writing such incredible fluff (and let's face it, it's almost horribly fluffy - not that I want to have it any other way. After all, it's Christmas time!) can be so hard. Anyway, I hope you haven't suffered an overdose of fluff and enjoyed it. Ha, and just how many of you have expected him to bring out the ring and pop the big question, huh! Hehehe... Sorry guys, not yet. But soon, very soon, promise. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews! And remember: they are _my_ best Christmas presents ever!)_


	8. The List

**Chapter 8: The List**

"Happy New Year, Ace," Logan whispered into Rory's ear.

Tightly wrapped in his arms, Rory turned around and smiled. "Happy New Year, Logan," she too wished him and then they kissed… a long, tender kiss.

Once they separated again, Rory turned again to lean her back against Logan to watch the various fireworks exploding all around them, but Logan still caught her smile. "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed quietly and shook her head. "I just still cannot believe that you, big party sucker, wanted to leave Madrid, the city of parties, early, to come back to London and celebrate the New Year home. And you actually really meant home and not some other party or even the party at Piccadilly."

He shrugged. "Why not?"

Rory looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "_Why not?_ Logan, this is you. And the night of the official biggest party of the year. I thought Finn was going to have a heart attack when you told the stooges the changed plans and was slightly worried because Colin definitely wouldn't have been able to help him as he was not much better than Finn. I hardly remember how to do CPR and I'm not sure how well you remember your first aid classes."

Logan rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you all have. I admit, I like parties, but you should know best that it's not all what I am about."

"Yeah, I know. And I'm here, am I not? But you've got also to admit that you're very much for big parties and that you suddenly want to celebrate the New Year by having a quiet time home is a bit startling," Rory replied.

Again, Logan shrugged. "What's wrong with wanting to spend a special evening with my girl who I don't get to see that often at the moment? We've already celebrated Christmas with Finn and Colin and were out with them almost every evening since you arrived in London two weeks ago. Not that I am complaining. We had a great time and Christmas was very beautiful this year, but at one point it is enough." He gazed at the fireworks and tightened his hold on Rory. "Frankly said, I just wanted to be alone with you for a while and I figured the only way to get rid of Finn and Colin was to decide to not party tonight because there's no way that those two won't make a big party out of tonight," he continued seriously but then glanced down at his Ace, smirking. "Besides, just because there's no big party doesn't mean it isn't special spending tonight with you, here. We had a nice and excellent dinner, we got to dance, we've had the traditional New Year kiss and now we're watching the fireworks in the most typical couple way and I seriously hope we'll have a memorable night in front of us," he finished with a wink at her.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. I like it very much," Rory assured him and caressed the arms holding her before resting her hands over his again. "I agree, we didn't have as much alone time as I had anticipated for these holidays."

"Hear, hear," murmured Logan and kissed the top of her hair.

For a long while, the couple just watched the exploding lights in silence. Only when the fireworks started to die down a bit, did Logan pick up the conversation again.

"You've been a bit quiet these past few days. Want to share what's bothering you?" he asked quietly.

To his surprise but also pleasure, she didn't even try to deny it, but just sighed. "Just thinking."

"And about what?" he inquired gently.

Rory quickly glanced up at him, then turned her eyes back to the now much darker skyline and shrugged. "It's just... everything's coming to an end. This year, my time as editor will be over in six weeks, and before I know it, I'm graduating as well. And it scares me. No, scratch that: I'm petrified because I don't know what will be this summer. I always knew what laid ahead of me: school, high school, college... But now that time is over and I don't know what to do and that leaves me feeling pretty much lost. I've got to decide what I want to do next: go for graduate school, go for the internship at the Times, look for work or, hell, go to law school even. And on top of that, there is you, and it's all so confusing..." she sighed deeply. "And I feel stupid because I'm so scared and rambling to you like this, now, instead of enjoying the fireworks."

Logan shook his head and turned her in his arms so he could look into her eyes, caressing her cheek. "Rory, no. It's perfectly normal. Just because I, or even Finn and Colin and most of my friends all knew exactly what awaited them after graduation doesn't mean I don't get why you're scared about the future. But I'm confident that you'll go your way, like you always have and it will be brilliant. And please, Ace, law school? You?" He shook his head. "You know what you want. You always knew. So go for it."

"And if I don't get the internship?" Rory asked, biting her lips.

"Then they're fools," Logan said simply. "Which they will know as soon as you've made yourself a name at another paper and attract their readers away from them. Trust me, Rory, you'll have no problem finding a job at any paper. Not with your references and grades. This way it will probably take you longer to get to where you want to be, and it may be harder even, but you'll still get there, perhaps stronger than when you had it the easier way," he told her with absolute conviction. Rory was born a reporter, nothing would ever change that. "Besides, there will always be a place for you within the Huntzberger News Corporation."

He felt her stiffen a bit. "I don't want..." she started to protest.

Sighing, Logan stopped her by tightening his hold on her, gazing intently into her eyes. "I know, I know, you don't want a pity job because you're sleeping with the boss. But listen to me now, Rory, just for a second. I understand why you want to try to find a job elsewhere, but I guarantee you, if you weren't my girlfriend, I'd have seen to it that the first offer you'll get would have been from us and such good an offer at that, that you'd have a very hard time to even think of refusing. You're one of the best and most promising young talents nationwide and I know what I'm talking about because I've kept an eye out for recruiting good, talented and innovative people." He hesitated a moment. "Actually, I had a call from Colton a while back. He's in charge of recruitment and personnel resources back at headquarters in New York. He wanted to know my opinion about making you an offer, knowing that we've worked together at the YDN and, even though he wasn't very pleased about that fact, that you're my girlfriend."

She frowned. "Really?"

Logan nodded. "Really. I told him that you probably won't accept out of principle, no matter how good the offer is. Colton respects that and I haven't had any news since then but I think he'll still try to offer you a position."

"But your Dad..." she protested.

"Dad is a businessman first, Rory, at least most of the time. And he is not a fool. He knows by now how good you are. He has seen it. Hiring you would be an advantage for us and that's all that counts," Logan told her matter-of-factly. "So yeah, you shouldn't be surprised if you'll get an official job offer from the Huntzberger News Corporation in the near future."

She was silent and he took that as a good sign. Perhaps it would make her think. He still didn't believe that she was going to accept but at least, it may give her a boost in confidence. Deciding to give it a rest, he changed the topic, wanting to address something else that had bothered him in her rant.

"Rory?"

Still lost in her own thoughts, undoubtedly about her professional future, she looked up at him, her eyes unfocused. "Hmm?"

"What about me?" he asked with a slight frown.

Her eyes cleared. "What?"

"You said: 'And there is you'," he repeated, holding her eyes. "Care to elaborate?"

She blushed but didn't look away at least. "Well... As I said it: there is you."

"I'm not going anywhere, Rory," Logan told her, not really liking her words.

Slowly, Rory nodded. "Good. And for the record, neither am I. But that doesn't mean that you're still not a big factor in whatever will be going on after my graduation." She stopped, biting her lips, before she continued, more hesitantly. "A big factor that needs to be considered. We don't know what will happen with me and we don't know either what your Dad has planned for you after your year here in London is over. I love you." Her fingers stroked over the ring she had given him. "And I think I made it clear that I'd like to stay with you for a long time, together. But that means that whatever decisions I make, you will influence them always. If I get an offer say from Chicago and LA and you're going to be on the East Coast then I'll probably decide for Chicago, even if perhaps the offer from LA's more interesting, because if I can, I want to be close to you and not being separated from you again. But, of course, we don't know what's going to happen to you either so how on earth am I going to decide anything when I don't know about that important factor?"

His heartbeat sped up at her words, but he was careful not to show his emotions and thoughts. Instead, he cupped her face and gave her a short, but deep kiss, before he drew back to gaze into her eyes. "As much as I'm pleased to hear that, Ace… don't do that." She opened her mouth, undoubtedly to protest with the expression in her eyes, but he shushed her. "No, listen. I appreciate that you want to consider me when making your decisions. But, don't." He offered her a grin. "You go after whatever you want and you decide for whatever job you'll be interested in the most. Without factoring me in. And then, when you've decided, I'll make sure that we'll be together. We've got papers and offices pretty much all over the states and even in several countries, as you well know. Once we know where you'll be after Yale, I'll make sure that I'll be where you are - or at least as near and close to you as possible. Okay?"

Her eyes searched his. "And you think it will be as easy as that?" she asked doubtful.

Logan shrugged. "Actually yeah, I think it will be," he told her confidently. 'Especially if you're going to be my wife', he thought.

"I don't know. Your Dad is not a fan of mine. He did everything to separate us. And now he would suddenly give in and just let you be with me?" Rory shook her head. "I don't believe so. And I don't want to risk us ending apart and further away from each other than we already are at the moment."

"Hey, let that be my worry, Rory. I promise, I'll deal with him. But as I told you before: there's not that much anymore that he can do against me. I'm his heir, his only heir and above all, he doesn't want to give the family business into any stranger's hands," Logan insisted. "Besides, I think you're wrong about his opinion about you anyway. He's seen that I won't give you up, no matter the circumstances, and he came to respect that. He even asks about you from time to time. And I think he follows your work more closely than what you're aware of. Trust me - he's not objecting to you any more than he used to."

Actually, he wasn't as certain as he conveyed it to Rory. He hadn't talked with his father about his plans yet, especially the ones he had about Rory. But his father had been less against Rory than he had used to be and he really had made an effort to ask about her the last few times they've seen each other. Perhaps his father even suspected Logan's impending proposal. Logan had been careful to keep it quiet and he was sure neither Finn nor Colin had spilled the beans. But his father always had had good instincts. Besides, it wasn't so hard to put two and two together in this case and his father was many things, but not a fool. Once Rory said yes (and she just had to!), he'd have to sit down with his father and talk about his immediate future. Their future.

"I hope you're right," she slowly gave in, still frowning though.

Logan smiled and run his thumb over her forehead to smooth out the wrinkles. "Just have some faith in me. I'll see to it that we're together, I promise."

"Okay, okay," nodded Rory. "But I warn you, Mister: you better keep your word or you'll deeply regret it. I have ways to punish you, you couldn't even imagine."

"I'll remember that," he laughed and slid his arms down to bring her flush against his body. There were still fireworks lightening up the sky around them but he was solely interested in their own kind of fireworks only. "Now, can we finally go over to the part where we make this night memorable?" he whined.

Rory's face lit up with a smile and she put her arms around his neck. "And what exactly had you in mind in order to achieve that?" she wanted to know with a not at all innocent smile.

"That, Ace, is for me to show you." Logan matched her smile with a dirty grin of his own and surprised her by swooping her up into his arms with a quick move. Not that she complained. Instead, she awarded him with a searing kiss that set his body on fire and he suddenly was in a hurry to carry her over to the chaise lounge to start with a quick, but intense lovemaking under the fireworks. He thought this was the perfect start for a year that promised to become the best year of his life so far.

Hopefully.

* * *

The sun was shining in, bathing the room with a warm, golden light and it looked to Logan as if it made Rory's alabaster skin shimmer as well, turning her into an almost ethereal beauty, leaving the impression that she would fade away if you tried to reach for her. 

Thankfully, she was there in the flesh and when he reached out to caress her naked back, all she did was smile in her sleep. He drank in that breathtaking sight, memorized every little detail, storing it away for the rest of his life until he was sure that when he recalled this moment, this late morning, in fifty, sixty years, he would remember it as if he was still there in their bed, lying beside his Ace, waiting patiently for her to wake up.

Though to be honest, he had no hurry for her to wake up, content to be able to just stare at her and literally feel the deep love he held for that amazing woman.

And to find the nerve to do what he was about to do when she woke up.

As if jarred by his nervous thought, Rory started to stir, turning around, stretching and sighing slightly before she finally opened her eyes slowly, smiling when her eyes met almost instantly his. "Hey."

Logan opened his mouth to greet her back, found himself without voice though, so he worked his throat until he managed to get out a rough "Hey".

God, what was wrong with him? What happened to his always present confidence and easiness with which he lived his life?

Then again, he was about to ask the most important question of his life and the answer to that most important question would severely affect the rest of his life. So was it any wonder that he was indeed a bit nervous?

"You okay?"

Rory's question brought him straight back and he mustered up a smile, hoping it didn't look as shaky as it felt like. "Yeah. Sure. I'm great. Have you had a good sleep?" The last question had barely left his lips when he could have slapped himself for asking such a stupid question.

Raising an eyebrow, Rory regarded him, amused. "Of course. How could I not with having such a great dream. And an even better day and night before that."

Something in Logan relaxed, well, at least a bit. "Glad to hear that."

"Hmm. I think spending the first day of the year in bed having wild, passionate sex is definitely something we've got to remember for the next year," Rory nodded, stretched again and then sat up a bit to smile at Logan wickedly. "I sure wouldn't mind to turn this into our New Year tradition."

Leaning over, Logan gave her a slow, warm kiss. "Yeah, definitely wouldn't mind such a tradition either," he finally answered huskily.

"Hmm, we might want to rent a room in the Dragonfly Inn though if we're really going to stay in Stars Hollow next year," Rory mused, still smiling. "Mom wouldn't mind us going at it like wild bunnies for over twenty-four hours of course but I'm pretty sure Dad would have a problem with that - especially as the walls in our house aren't really very thick - and that my room is right beside the kitchen. Though they do want to give it to Gigi, once she's back from Paris, so I guess I'm without a room anyway, giving us the perfect excuse to stay in the Inn."

Groaning, Logan rolled away to sit up, shaking his head. "Ace, how many times do I have to tell you to not mention your Mom and sex in one sentence. Or even worse, your Dad. Let alone that baby sister of yours. It's just wrong."

Grinning, Rory shrugged. "Well, you're the one having a problem with it. I have absolutely no problem with that. But at least this way I'm sure I'll get my breakfast before you ravish me again." Her eyes turned to him, pleadingly and wickedly at the same time. "Experience dictates that you need at least twenty minutes to get your libido up for action again after mentioning the bad M-word and sex in one breath. Now with Dad and Gigi thrown in as well I estimate it leaves me at least forty-five minutes and wouldn't that just be the perfect opportunity to feed your famished girlfriend and most importantly, bring her the gods' brew called coffee to boot her system and energy up enough again in order to satisfy her always eager and hungry boyfriend?"

With another shake of his head, Logan got up, laughing quietly. "I was just waiting for sleeping beauty here to awake. Give me five minutes and I'll bring you your breakfast. By the way, who said anything about staying in bed today, as I assume from your speech, that's what you expect out of today?"

Rory looked at him curiously. "Well, what else is there to do on the second of January with no Finn and Colin around to drag us anywhere or hanging around the place? The stores and many of the restaurants are closed and we already went to all the usual places you go to when you visit London."

Logan shrugged. "I didn't say we aren't spending the day in," he pointed out. "I'm just saying that perhaps, we want to do some other things today as well."

"Do we?" she just asked with a raised eyebrow.

"And they say I'm sex hungry," Logan commented dryly.

His Ace shrugged. "Well, having a boyfriend thousands of miles away and only seeing him every few weeks or even months makes my sex drive go crazy as well, I guess. Especially when I have you finally just for myself."

Smirking, Logan shook his finger against her and backed away. "Careful, or your breakfast will have to wait until much later."

"There are worse things than that," Rory called after him, but Logan heard her getting up and making a quick trip to the bathroom. Besides, after two and a half years he knew better than to let his Ace go without food and coffee any longer, after eating little the previous day.

Looking at the tray he had prepared about two hours ago, well, the food didn't need to be warmed, Logan took a deep breath. Like so often, talking and simply being with Rory had relaxed him, making him almost forget the reasons for his anxiety. But now, alone again, his thoughts immediately turned back to what lay ahead, going over the plan over and over again. As if he hadn't thought about it enough in the past few months, preparing everything for the moment that was to come, very soon now, debating on how to approach it, making it big and sensational or not, when to make it, what to say, how to make sure that she just can't say no.

He knew, well, he hoped that he had chosen the right approach… it surely was not what he had imagined originally but what he had come to believe would be the perfect plan for Rory. At least, it had given him the flexibility to pretty much go through with it anytime he wanted, whenever he felt that the right moment had come, something that Logan thought would never come for some time.

And suddenly, there it was.

The moment.

Looking into her eyes this night while moving deeply inside her, making love to her, he had suddenly just known it.

That now was the moment. The right moment.

Needless to say that he hadn't slept for a second that night.

Instead, he had watched his Rory sleep and while watching her, feeling the deep love they shared, he had seen their future, starting from this night on.

If she said yes.

But she just had to say yes. She had to feel it too, didn't she? That this was it, that they were simply right together and oh so wrong apart.

And she loved him. He was sure of that, even before she had given him the friendship rings or had said all those wonderful things during these holidays.

Was it enough though? Logan's biggest fear was that it was still too soon. He knew Rory wanted to start her life, find her place in life before attaching herself to a man, even if she loved him. It was what had made him hesitate this long. Then again, Rory should know him better than to think that he didn't want that for her either. He wanted her to develop herself to her fullest potential, to go fly free. He would never tie her down. But being free didn't mean you couldn't also be in a relationship. His being with Rory had made him freer than he ever had been in his life and he hoped Rory would remember that.

Besides, while he did want to get married as soon as possible, he could also wait if that was what Rory wanted. As long as he had her promise to marry him sometime and the whole world knowing that they belonged together he would wait forever if necessary.

But he did hope that she'd see that being married to him would not make such a difference on her life - well, at least not compared to being his girlfriend only anyway - and therefore agree to have the wedding still this year. Ideally after her graduation, leaving them the summer for their honeymoon, but later was okay as well.

Of course, first, she had to say yes.

He thought he knew her answer.

But still... he just couldn't help but be scared beyond any reason, that in the end, he had gotten it all wrong and that Rory would shatter his heart and dreams in the following hours by saying that dreadful two-letter word in answer to his proposal.

* * *

"Thank you. That was pretty amazing for a simple breakfast," Rory sighed with contentment, putting away the now empty tray. 

Logan shrugged. "No big deal. Besides, considering the hour, it is a bit late for a breakfast. And you know, it's not that hard to make eggs and bacon or pancakes or put together some cereal."

"For you perhaps. Some people are just not made to cook," Rory countered.

"You can make a pretty good salad or sandwich," Logan protested mildly. "And you're the queen of fast, delivery and snack food. That's useful too."

"If you mock me, we definitely won't spend another day making wild monkey sex, Huntzberger," Rory warned.

Logan just smiled lazily. "That's okay."

Giving him a somewhat incredulous look, Rory frowned slightly. "That's okay? I'm denying you sex and that's okay? Are you sure you're okay? Because you're really acting a bit strange today, Logan."

Biting back a sarcastic bark of laughter, Logan took a long moment to look at his Ace from his position, lying on the bed on his stomach and looking up at her, seeing the slight concern and puzzlement in the blue eyes he had fallen in love with the first time he had looked into them.

He took a deep, calming breath, knowing that there was no going back or postponing anymore.

It was now or never.

"I have something for you," he told Rory quietly.

Rory's frown deepened. "More? Logan, really. I appreciate the thought but you've given me more than enough these past weeks."

"Believe me, this is different," he assured her with a nervous smile, then rolled around to open his drawer, taking out the precious gift. "It's something for both of us. At least I hope so. And it's not really a gift. Well, yeah, technically perhaps it is one but practically it's not." He was babbling! He was actually babbling like a stupid and nervous teenage girl. Shaking his head, he forced himself to relax. "Here," he simply said and held it, along with his heart, out to her.

Her curiosity definitely peaked, Rory slowly took it, looking back at Logan quizzically. "A paper scroll?"

Logan nodded. "Go on, open it."

Shooting him another puzzled look, Rory eyed the heavy paper scroll with the golden border and dark wooden handles and finally unrolled the paper slowly, her eyebrows shooting up when she read the first words. "A pro and con list? What for?"

"Just read on," Logan instructed her quietly, suddenly feeling much more at peace, now that everything was actually happening. He was still nervous as hell of course - but it was a relaxed nervousness.

Her eyebrows rising a bit higher, Rory rolled open further. "Pro: We have fantastic sex." She shot him a look which he met with a smug smile. What? It was the honest to God truth. "Con: He knows how to push my buttons, the good ones (which is a pro as well by the way), and the bad ones." Rory rolled her eyes. "Heaven knows that's true," she muttered, causing Logan to grin. "Pro: He knows how to party," she continued. Stopping, she looked back at him. "I'm not so sure that that's a pro."

"Go to con," Logan just told her.

Her eyes holding his a moment longer, she went back to the scroll in her hands. "Con: He knows how to party." She chuckled. "Yep, got that one right. Pro: He sees to it that I dare to do new things and that I live a little more." She nodded. "True, but you definitely overdo it sometimes." When Logan opened his mouth, she winked his comment away. "I know, I know, read on. Con: The mission of his life seems to distract me, if I want it or not, if I have time for it or not." Rory looked back at Logan, thoughtfully. "I'm not sure yet where you want to go with this list, but you really are serious with this, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Logan met her eyes. "More serious than I've ever been about anything in my life," he answered from the deepest of his heart. He breathed in and smiled. "But don't worry, there are some fun parts in it as well, like the next point."

Again regarding him for a long moment longer, she finally nodded and returned her attention to the scroll in front of her. "Pro: He loves 'House' more than me." She grinned. "Con: He doesn't like 'The Office'." She sighed deeply. "I still can't believe that you don't like 'The Office'. You just have to love it!"

"Ace, you forced me to watch the entire show seven times now. Just give it up and try to live with the fact that you're in a relationship with someone who doesn't like 'The Office'," Logan replied, rolling his eyes.

"But that's really hard, you know," she whined, but then read on. "Okay, next pro: He's got good taste in movies. - Yeah, you're not bad there, though you definitely like action, drama and western way too much for my taste. But let's see what you have for con: His taste in music is questionable." She nodded. "You really have to learn a lot in that department. Perhaps, when Lane had the twins and desperately needs a break I'll offer to babysit while you get a crash lesson in what real good music is."

"Like I've told you before, everyone has his own taste," Logan reminded her.

"Sure. It still can be wrong though because you just don't know it any better," Rory insisted though before going back to the list. "Pro: He knows how to cook and loves to give or make me a feast. Con: He likes healthy food and sports and always tries to smuggle in some of the gruesome stuff into my meal and getting me warmed up to sports as well." She nodded gravely. "True, true. Though, I must admit that some of your healthy stuff isn't even half bad. Just don't tell Mom."

"I would never," Logan promised truthfully, wisely not commenting on her admission.

"Pro: He properly honors the gods' nectar, commonly called coffee, has the finest brew ready at all times and knows to always keep me sustained with this life important nectar and agrees not to come between me and my coffee." She let the roll sank down to gaze at him. "You're right, that's one of the biggest pros in your favor. You always just accepted it."

"Ace, believe me, I'm not blind. Only a fool would not see that if he wants you, he should accept the coffee too," Logan told her amused.

"Still..." Rory brought up the scroll again to read on. "Con: He prefers tea or alcohol to coffee and what coffee is for me, a good old, fine whiskey is for him." She shrugged. "As long as you understand what coffee really is and you don't drink as much whiskey as I drink coffee, then that's not really that big of a con."

"Glad to hear that," Logan commented dryly, shaking his head. His Ace and coffee...

"Pro: He's well read, I can talk with him just about anything and everything and our conversations are never boring," she read and agreed with a nod without any hesitation. "Con: He's a smart ass and a master of inflicting hurt and humiliation with his sharp and sometimes harsh tongue." She was quiet for a moment, staring at that point, before looking back at him. "You're right. When you want to, you can be a real asshole and I don't like you lashing out. But to be fair, I think I can be pretty mean as well."

"Though with you it's more your pencil that I fear than your tongue," Logan answered, briefly touching her arm. "But don't worry, you're still far behind me. And I believe that since I met you I've been much nicer to everyone."

"I think so too," she confirmed quietly, reaching for his hand to squeeze before having to draw it back in order to further read the scroll. "Pro: He respects my rules and traditions. - Con: He mocks my rules and traditions." She laughed quietly. "Oh well, a Gilmore has to live with that, so that's not so tragic as long as you respect them - which you do. So what else?" She read on and laughed out loud. "Pro: Finn and Colin. Con: Finn and Colin. - Oh God, you better not let the stooges read that or you'll be in trouble."

"Hey, I can, nothing but the truth!" Logan protested, grinning as well. But hell, Finn and Colin were an important point for both sides of that list as his best friends. Invaluable on one hand and simply impossible on the other hand. "Besides, you with Paris really can't say anything. Finn and Colin together are not as bad as Paris."

"All right, all right, I guess that's only fair. Though she's not that bad." When Logan just looked at her incredulously, Rory rolled her eyes. "Really. But let's better get back to this list. Pro: He's in the news business too. - Hmm, that's good, though I'd wish..." she interrupted herself when she read the con. "He's a Huntzberger," she read quietly and sighed. "I know it's not your fault for being born the Huntzberger heir, but you're right. I'd prefer a poor little journalist like Doyle to the mogul you are - or will become."

"I know," Logan nodded. "But I'm sorry, Rory, that's not something that I can change. I can only promise to try to be different from my Dad."

Rory shook her head. "You already are, Logan, believe me. You're nothing like your Dad. Forgive me for saying this, but you're a much better person than Mitchum Huntzberger. And I think you definitely will be a better CEO of the Huntzberger Media Corporation than him."

Logan could only see pure honesty in her eyes and his throat thickened as he nodded. "Thank you."

"It's only the truth," she simply said and then read on. "Pro: His nearly unlimited recourses enable him to do almost everything he wants to and he often takes me along for the ride." She glanced at him before she went on to the other side. "Con: He's a rich, privileged and often downright arrogant snob. And I repeat again: He's rich."

Rory was quiet for a long time, making Logan's nervousness flare up again. That point had been hard for him to write down, because contrary to her, he didn't see those things as such a bad thing, though he admitted that he could work on the arrogant snob part. But he knew that through her upbringing, she had a very different opinion of this.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever appreciate the attitude of privileged kids like you and Finn and Colin. But..." Rory looked up at him. "I can also see how you all became like that. And bottom line is that I think many of us not so well situated kids are much happier or even richer in the end than you, though on a different levels of course. It helps to understand your background, your childhood. And even more it helped to see that you all have other sides too, to see how generous you can be, how… caring."

"Which is only possible when you have someone to ground you," Logan responded honestly. "Believe me, Ace, meeting you had made me think over a lot of things. But I'll never apologize for being rich and use the advantages that that brings me."

"I know," Rory answered. "And I can live with that, as long as you don't exaggerate it." She made a face. "Not that I'm in the position to say much to that. After all, my grandparents have constructed and will be inaugurating an astrology building in my name soon."

"That's different," Logan consoled her, knowing how uncomfortable she was with that.

Rory nodded, then searched his eyes. "It's not just that though, is it? I've thought about it. I'm going to inherit from Grandma and Grandpa most of their money and some from Dad as well, won't I?"

Surprised, Logan nodded. It was no secret to anyone in high society that Lorelai Leigh Gilmore the Third was going to be one of the wealthiest heiresses of her age but so far, Rory had always refused to see this fact, let alone acknowledge and accept it. Logan knew that and apart from some comments in that direction, especially when they argued about his status of being a rich guy, he let it rest. Of course she had to face it one day, but then again, he thought that that was something she had to come to terms with on her own.

On the other hand, when they marry, she definitely wouldn't be able to ignore the fact that she simply wasn't anymore a poor girl from the middle class, working her way up.

She sighed. "I figured that much. It's one of the reasons I took economics this year as well. I want to be prepared." She looked around in the obviously luxurious apartment before her eyes slid back to him. "I'm not that happy about it, because I really don't need it - on the other hand though I have to admit that being with you and your friends helped me realize that just because I'm going to be rich as well, doesn't mean that wealth will corrupt me - or that I don't know what work is. Grandpa worked hard for his money, as hard as Mom, and this past half year I've seen how hard you've worked too. And I also can't say that I'm not glad that with the money I won't have to fear having nothing to eat or a place to sleep." She smiled sadly. "Or that when I have kids, that I have to worry about them having no food, clothes, a home. And that I won't have to worry about not being able to give them the education that they want and deserve." She shook her head. "You know, if not for the money of my grandparents, I'd never made it into Chilton. And probably neither into Yale as well. So yeah, I'm beginning to see that being rich is not all _that_ bad."

"I'm happy to see you coming to realize that. Because believe me, it's not that as easy having money as it looks like. But I'm sure that you'll be an exemplary rich person," Logan assured her, truly relieved to see her new understanding of her position in the world of the rich and powerful. "And you need to know that while I'm certainly not ashamed being rich and having grown up like I have - I do think that your Mom wasn't so wrong getting you out of High Society when you were young." He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to move ahead too far, but there was something else he needed her to know. "So I do think that when I have children, while I won't take them out of the whole circle completely, I think a more disciplined and less privileged upbringing than I've gotten will probably be more in favor of the children."

"Really?" Rory asked surprised.

Logan nodded.

"Hmm... I had no idea that you've progressed so much. I thought it would take me a few more years for you to see that - if ever," she replied with a small smile, having no idea what her words did for her anxious boyfriend on the brink of proposing to her. "Good, let's see what else you've got here. Pro: My grandparents love him, even if they know by now that we are actually having sex." Rory laughed, shaking her head. "God, remember when they found out about that? It was just so hilarious!"

Logan grimaced. "Pardon me if I wasn't as happy about them finding out. Emily is scary when she's determined to give you the cold shoulder. And I expected Richard bringing out his dueling pistols any moment."

"It wasn't as bad," Rory put down his past worries and continued reading. "Con: Mom and my friends hate him." She frowned, her eyes shooting back to him. "That's not true. They don't hate you."

"Perhaps not, but they sure as hell don't like me all that much either. And I can't blame them. A big part of that is my fault," Logan said with a sigh and signaled her to continue.

Still frowning, Rory complied. "Pro: He promises to make an effort to get on better terms with my Mom and my friends from now on." Her hands sank down to look at him hopefully. "Really?"

"Really," Logan assured her. "I know it won't be that easy but I also know how important this is for you. I have a few ideas how I can perhaps improve in that regard. But I'll need your help."

Rory leaned forward to give him a short but heartfelt kiss. "Thank you. This really means a lot to me."

Logan caressed her cheek. "I know. I'm sorry I cared so little about this so far. Now go on."

Leaning back, Rory took up the roll again. "Con: His family is the spawn of the devil and treats me like trash, with the exception of Honor, who can be very annoying sometimes though." She shrugged. "Sorry, I've got to agree with you there, though you've exaggerated a bit. And wasn't it only two nights ago that you've told me that they warmed up to the idea of you and me?"

"True. And I really meant it. They're still bad though. And I fear Grandpa won't change his mind. He's more stubborn than a donkey," Logan muttered.

"Strange, somehow I have the impression I know someone else who's pretty pigheaded as well sometimes," Rory sarcastically told him.

"Hey!"

"Please, you've got to admit that you also share that character flow. But I'm not surprised that I haven't seen it on the con list so far."

"I'm not stubborn and certainly not as stubborn as my grandfather," Logan insisted on his protest. "If anything, I'm persistent and that's a pro for sure."

"There's a fine line between persistence and stubbornness," Rory retorted back and continued with the list before he could further protest. "Pro: He trusts me." She paused for a moment, shooting him a glance. "Con: I'm not sure I can trust him. - Oh no!" Glaring, she shook her head vehemently. "No, Logan. That's not true. Not anymore. Yeah, we had our issues in that matter, especially me, but I'm over it. I know I can trust you. You showed it to me, proved it to me, so many times these past few months. Please, don't ever doubt this again."

His heartbeat accelerating, Logan felt some tension in him relax. "Good."

"And don't forget it," Rory nodded, turning back to the parchment on her hands. "Pro: He believes in me, has absolute trust in my abilities and always encourages me in my dreams. He's my number one fan, right after my mother." Her eyes lifted to meet his, saying everything what she didn't seem to be able to express in words and Logan met them, silently conveying to her just how serious he was about this. Eventually, Rory continued with a throaty voice. "Con: My relationship with him and therefore association with his name may limit me in my options and bound me in certain ways. But if I accept it, his name may also open a few doors for me. - Logan..."

"I know, I know. We've talked about this already the other night," Logan quickly intercepted anything she might say. "I'm sorry that being with me may limit you somewhat. But please just remember that the Huntzberger Media Corporation can also offer you some possibilities that I'm sure you'd go for, if you didn't happen to date the boss."

But Rory shook her head. "That's not it. All I wanted to say is that I want you to know that any effect my association with you may have on my career has never, ever been an issue for me. I can't help it if I've fallen in love with you anymore than you can do anything about the fact that you're the Huntzberger heir. If someone has a problem with that and really thinks that my integrity would suffer because of you and me - well, then it wouldn't have been the right place for me to work there in the first place."

Logan hadn't expected to hear this from her and was still skeptical. "Rory, I appreciate this, really, but when you won't get the job you really wanted just because they fear your relationship with me, then..."

"No, Logan! This is not something to be guilty about. And it sure as hell is not a reason to not be together with you. Now, can I continue?" Rory forced her point, giving him a stern look that dared him to contradict. Naturally, he hastily nodded. "Good. Okay, next pro: I showed him what love is." Again, she looked at him, before she continued. "And con: He's an emotional cripple who's still got a lot to learn and does make some really stupid mistakes because of that." She sighed. "That may have been true two or even one year ago, but now? Logan, don't you see how much you've grown and matured this past year, especially this last half year?"

Logan shrugged. He tended to agree with her but he also thought that there was still a lot for him to learn. Which should be no problem as long as he had his Rory to guide him. "Only because of you. But come on, read on," he urged her, his nervousness and anticipation growing again, now that she was approaching the end of the list and the moment of truth was coming nearer and nearer.

Rory just held his eyes though, searching them. "Logan? What is this list? Why have you done this?"

"Rory, please - just read on," Logan pleaded quietly, his nerves slowly but surely becoming wrecked. Rory was far from being stupid, quite the contrary, and he was sure she had a pretty good hunch where this was leading to. After everything, it wasn't that hard to figure out. And her sudden hesitation to go on did more than scare him than just a little.

Had he been wrong after all? Wasn't she ready yet? Or even worse, did she just not want to marry him?

Finally, after another long moment of hesitation, Rory nodded and slowly unrolled the parched paper further. Logan breathed again and sat up, not that he had noticed that he had held his breath in the first place.

"Pro: He needs me." She paused. "I need you too," she said softly before she turned back to the list. "No con." She looked back at him, a question in her eyes.

"There are no more cons," Logan confirmed and mustered up a lopsided grin. "Had to keep it in my favor, naturally."

She opened her mouth, then thought otherwise and went on to the next pro. "He loves me. - And I love him," she added, Logan knowing perfectly well that he didn't write the declaration of love she just said. Then again, he already knew that she loved him. Still, he would never tire of hearing it and especially now… it somehow seemed truer than ever before. Rory unrolled more. "He can't live without me." Swallowing, she looked back at him, just looked.

"Go on, Rory," Logan told her softly, his voice rough.

Taking a deep breath, Rory further unrolled the scroll, never breaking eye contact with him though. Logan felt as if every nerve in his body was tensed, impatiently waiting for her to read the last point on the list, but fearing it at the same time. Finally, her eyes dropped down to the paper and onto the last pro point. At least he sincerely hoped it was a pro point. "He wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He longs to marry me and to have a family with me someday," she reads slowly, her voice barely above a whisper.

His heart barely daring to beat, Logan waited with a bated breath for her reaction, but she just sat there, staring at the words on the parchment, her eyes wide. In short, she looked pretty much thunderstruck.

But what did this mean? Was she just surprised after all, despite all the signs he was sure he had given her lately or was she shocked because he had just majorly fucked up their relationship? God, what should he do when she really said no?!?!

When she still showed no reaction, Logan wet his suddenly dry throat and lips. "There's more, Rory. Please, go on," he managed to somehow say, not caring that he sounded almost like begging.

In a way, he was begging. For her to go on, to release him from this hell of uncertainty. And above all, he begged her to take him, to say yes.

At last she moved, lifting her head to look at him, but her eyes were hooded and he just couldn't read them. Ever so slowly, she finally unrolled the scroll completely and her eyes widened even further when she read the question that stood under the list. "Do I want that too?" she whispered the words, her gaze fixed on the ring that was fastened with a small gold chain right beneath that question. And finally, her head rose and her eyes gazed at him. "Logan?"

Swallowing, Logan slid from the bed to sink to his knees beside it and took her hand into his, meeting her eyes with his own, showing all of him… his love, his sincerity, his fear. "Rory... I love you. Since the day I met you, you taught me to live in a way I never even knew existed. You showed me what real love is and loving you set me free like I've never imagined being possible." He smiled warmly. "With you, life is never boring. With you, everything is just more." His smile faded, leaving him naked with his emotions in front of her. "And without you, I'm not complete anymore. Without you, there is no happiness for me anymore. All I want is you. Simply you. I want to share everything with you. I want you at my side as my partner for the rest of my life. And one day, I want to have children with you and much, much later, grandchildren. I want to grow old with you. I want to be with you, always. And if possible, for all eternity… my soulmate". He took a deep breath, his hold on her hand tightening. "So, do you want all of that too, Rory? Will you marry me?"

She still stared at him with wide eyes, making his heart beat wildly, but ever so slowly, a smile started to form on her face, reaching her eyes, filling them with pure love and happiness. Tears pooling in the corner of her eyes, she entwined the fingers of the hand he held with his and reached out with her other hand to draw him up to her, stroking over his cheek just before giving him a searing kiss which he responded to with as much fervor, unconsciously climbing back onto the bed.

"Yes," she finally whispered the long anticipated and longed for answer against his lips, her smile lightening up more and more, her eyes shining with more love and warmth than he had ever seen before. "Yes, Logan. More than anything in the world. I love you. And I want to be with you too, always." She kissed him again. "Yes, I will marry you. Yes, yes, yes."

"Rory..." Needing her closer, Logan let go of her hand to take her into his arms, deepening their kiss, sealing the promise they just made each other.

With a foolishly happy grin, he finally came up again and searched for the paper scroll with the ring. It still laid on her lap, the diamond, set by three deep blue sapphires of the color of her eyes on a silver band, sparkled joyfully in the sunlight, as if it knew that Logan had just become the luckiest and happiest man on earth and cheered along with him. Stroking down her arms, he grabbed the scroll and carefully loosened the chain to slid the ring into his palm. Turning back to Rory, his smile deepened when she had already outstretched her hand to him, sporting the same happy smile as he did while she waited expectantly for him to slid on the ring.

Taking a deep breath, Logan met her eyes and slowly slid the ring onto her finger until it rested safely in a perfect fit at the bottom of her finger. "There," he said softly, amazed how much the sight of his ring on her finger affected him, how proud and possessive it made him feel.

Rory, with her eyes also admiring the ring, nodded. "It's beautiful, Logan."

"Had to find something that fit you, hadn't I?" Logan agreed and touched the ring, stroking over the band before looking up into her eyes again. "I didn't even search for it, you know? I walked by the window of a small shop in a side alley and there it was. The moment I saw it I knew this was the ring for you and before I knew it, I was inside and buying the ring. And back then I wasn't a hundred percent sure if I really wanted to propose to you yet, it being too early."

"Sounds like fate," Rory said quietly. "I already love this ring. It's just perfect. It's old, isn't it?"

Logan nodded. "The shop owner said it's most likely two, three hundred years old. The appraiser I consulted in order to insure it confirmed that. Apparently, the ring has been handed down through generations and belonged to different couples and families through the years." He turned her hand so that the diamond and sapphires caught even more light. "See the sapphires? The shop owner told me that its last owner explained that they stand for mind, heart and soul." His fingers closed over her hand and he brought it up to kiss it, right over the ring. "And I can easily believe in that for I love you with every fiber of my mind and body, from the deepest of my heart and with a soul that longs to be united with yours."

"Logan..." A tear at last escaping her eyes, Rory embraced Logan, holding him tightly against her. "Thank you," she whispered and then leaned back to gaze into his eyes. "Now make love to me and let me show you how much I really love you… and unite our souls."

Now, that was something he didn't need to be asked twice. With Rory in his arms, he sank back onto the mattress, already kissing her deeply, already moving to sink deep into her, becoming one with his Ace, his lover, his soulmate.

His fiancée.

* * *

TBC! 

_(Author's Note: New Year to Valentine's Day. But I think this part definitely is worthy to be posted on this big day for all people in love, don't you think so too? This is actually the first time I ever wrote a proposal I think. And believe me, I've envisioned this proposal already long before I started this story. I always thought I'd use it for Different, once I get there. But we all know how the writers busted that plan. Idiots! So I'm happy to be able to use it here, in my very own version of how Season Seven should have been for Rory and Logan. Now, I hope you liked it. Once again a heartfelt 'thank you' to all you out there who gave me those wonderful reviews or even went so far to 'favorite' this story or even me. Thank you! Next, we'll let the folks know, hopefully soon.)_


	9. Planning

**Chapter 9: Planning**

"Still happy?"

Looking up from admiring her ring for the umpteenth time since Logan had proposed to her almost nine hours before, something Logan was more than thrilled about, Rory smiled warmly. "More than ever."

"Good," he sighed happily, stroking her back. "Me, too."

Her fingers gently stroking his chest, she looked up. "Thank you, Logan," she said earnestly.

Meeting her gaze, he raised an eyebrow. "What on Earth for? If anything I should be the one thanking you. You said yes." He made a face. "I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't said yes. I really don't."

"Well, that's not something you'll ever have to worry about now. And I can't believe that you actually had any doubts about my answer! You know I love you," she pointed out, giving him a look.

He shrugged. "Rory, a guy who isn't nervous about his girl's answer when he proposes doesn't really care about her or her answer in the first place. And yeah, I know that we love each other, but how was I supposed to know if that was enough for you to actually want to marry me and spend the rest of your life with me? Or, if it still wasn't too soon for me to ask you?"

A little frown appeared on her forehead as she thought over his words. Finally, she gave a small nod. "Yeah, I see your point. But you needn't have to worry. It's more than enough… my love for you. I can't live without you anymore, I learned as much last year, with the accident that nearly took you away from me forever and then these last six months having to live so far apart from each other... Trust me, I don't have to think twice about me spending my life with you, as your wife, one with you." She leaned up, giving him a short, but deep kiss. "And as for the right moment: now is perfect. But that's what I wanted to thank you for anyway. For this wonderful proposal. It was just... just so perfect. I never expected the way you've done it, but now I can't imagine it any other way anymore. It's got to be the most perfect and fitting proposal ever and for that I thank you."

Stealing a kiss himself, he leaned back with a smile, so happy to have the stress and tension that had gripped him for the last months finally having left him. "It was the only true way to propose to you that came to my mind. I admit there were times I've thought about other ways, most of them something real big, LDB big, if you know what I mean, but I had my doubts if you'd have appreciated that way much."

"You sure were right with this one," she nodded. "I know, some like it if it's done in front of a lot of people or at least the ones who love you most… but I don't know. A proposal is something private, I can't help but think that it should also happen that way, just between the two people who love each other. Just like the way you did it." Her eyes glanced to the paper scroll on the night table and a warm smile formed on her face. "How can a girl say no to such a wonderful, thoughtful and beautiful proposal?"

Logan sure was glad to hear how much she had liked the way he proposed to her, but she sure had his curiosity peaked. "Would you have said no if I had done it the wrong way? Like on a party or in front of the whole student body of Yale?"

She eyed him for a moment, skeptically, and then shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. I love you and I want to marry you but if you really had done it like that... Maybe. You know how little I like big public attention and I guess you can fuck up a proposal by showing so little respect for your girlfriend's preferences by choosing such a way to propose, so my first reaction may have been to say no. Wouldn't have meant that that was a no in the long run. You'd just have to ask me again, properly."

He made a face. "Not sure I'd have done that, Ace. A guy has his pride. Having my heart crushed once by you saying no would probably have been one time too many for me."

She shook her head and kissed him, settling her chin on her hands lying on his chest afterwards. "Then I'm just happy we never have to find that out, seeing the perfection of your proposal and my logical answer to it."

"Yeah," he smiled, caressing a lock of her hair out of her face. "Now all that's left for us to do is tell everyone. Then survive the wedding preparations they are going to force us to go through. I tell you, I'm already looking forward to the day you and I can leave for our honeymoon, having all the craziness behind us."

Rory grimaced. "Grandma will be a pest, I'm sure of it. Especially as she never could live out her fantasies for Mom's wedding - and especially now being cheated on it by Mom and Dad eloping like they did. With you being who you are, she'll insist on making a big thing out of this. I've seen it, you know? She helped in preparing Sookie's wedding for a while and went totally nuts over it. And that was just the wedding of someone she barely knew. Then there was the renewal of their vows. You've been there. You've seen to what extent she's gone to for that one, and that in only a couple of weeks."

"Well, once Mom accepts that this wedding will take place, she too will insist on a big wedding," Logan pointed out, grimacing himself. "And I'm not sure there's a way to stop them short of eloping ourselves."

"I know," Rory sighed. "But I don't want that. Sue me, but part of me actually wants that big wedding. I want everyone we love there, and on my side, that's basically the whole of Stars Hollow plus a few people form Yale and then of course Mia needs to be there as well."

"She's the woman who took your mother and you in, when Lorelai run away, right?" Logan asked, milking his memories of Mia.

Rory nodded. "That's right, you still have to meet her. She's like a grandmother to me. You'll like her."

"I just hope she'll like me if she's so important to you," he answered, mentally sighing as he put yet another name on the list of people he needed to try to befriend, for Rory's sake. "And you're right. There are some people I want to be at our wedding, some you've yet to meet as well. Then there's the extended family. And I fear Dad will insist on at least a few business contacts too." Seeing Rory's face, he stroked her head. "I know, I know. I'll try to talk him out of it. But a wedding between the Gilmore heiress and the Huntzberger heir is a big deal, Rory, we can't escape that fact. In the end, to handle the publicity the announcement of our engagement will make, it will be easier to be open and inviting about it. If we try to keep it too small there will immediately be ugly rumors flying around about our relationship and the reason for the wedding and I refuse to let such rumors mar our wedding and put more pressure and stress on the preparation that it will cause already anyway. I promise I'll only allow them to invite only really important people and only people that I actually like and would invite to a big wedding either way."

She nodded. "I guess you're right. Grandma and Grandpa will probably want to invite some of their friends, too. At least most of them will probably be on your folk's list as well, right?"

"Probably," he agreed, mentally going through Honor's wedding guest list last spring.

"And I'll get Mom to hold back Grandma. If anyone, she's going to be the one who will be able to do that. Besides, I'm not about to give her free rein on my wedding. I'm more than capable of organizing my own wedding, or to at least decide on the major points. I _am_ a DAR girl too after all and I've learned from the best," Rory said with fierce resolution.

Logan had to smile. "That you are," he agreed, remembering her short full time stint in the DAR. He was surprised when Rory actually stayed a member after her return to Yale, despite Emily's wishes. She even had gone to some meetings and parties since then, keeping in contact with the ladies. He wondered if it had had to do with her realization of her impending inheritance and position in high society. But he had a lifetime to ask her about her motivation and now he certainly had other things on his mind to talk about, or even better, do.

"Now that we've settled on this, there are only two more things to discuss," Rory said, seemingly reading his mind.

"When to tell them all?" he asked, knowingly. At Rory's nod, he nodded. "I've thought about it already and I think it's easiest if we just get it over with. In person though. So I thought I'd leave with you Friday and take you home, go with you to Stars Hollow to tell your parents. That is, if you want us to tell them together. After that I'll continue to Hartford to tell my family. They should be home this weekend. And then we could perhaps meet with your grandparents, too. The way I know Honor, she'll insist to meet us for lunch or something, too. After that it will probably be time for me to head back to London already. But once we've told them, they'll handle the announcement and that should take care of the rest of the world."

Her eyes searched his. "Just you?" she quietly asked.

Knowing immediately what she asked, he sighed, cupping her cheek. "I know you want to come with me to my parents, but trust me, it is better if I go tell them by myself."

"You expect so much trouble from them about our engagement?" she asked and he could see the disappointment and slight hurt in her eyes over that. He hated that.

"Honestly? I don't know. I think it's very possible that at least Dad and Mom won't object to it anymore. But just in case, it's for the best I face them alone. You don't need to hear what they might say should I be wrong about it," he softly told her. "Besides, I'll have to talk with Dad about what this means for my future in the company anyway and that's really something just between him and me."

Rory was quiet for a moment, but then nodded with a sigh. "I guess you know it best so I'll just trust you on that. But once we're married, I won't let you get away with that anymore," she warned him and he had to grin. He sure liked to hear her talking like that. Once they were married... A certainty now, not just a wish anymore or a meaningless expression. "And just for your information, I definitely want you to be there when I tell Mom and Dad. Well, I'll perhaps tell Mom in the kitchen in private, but you need to be there nonetheless."

"No problem with me there," he answered, not able to help feeling his stomach clench in nervousness at the thought of facing Christopher and Lorelai as Rory's fiancé. He bet there would be one or two uncomfortably talks with them when Rory wasn't around.

Not that he could blame them. In their position he would want to warn him off as well.

"So, now that that's settled, what's the other thing we need to decide on?" he wanted to know, choosing to rather think of other things than the possible wrath of Rory's parents.

To his immense interest she blushed. "Well, isn't it obvious?" she timidly asked. But when he just raised an eyebrow, she rolled her eyes. "When do we actually want to have that big wedding?"

"Oh..." he mouthed, amused. But she was right, they still had to settle that one.

"Something tells me that you've already got a suggestion for that, don't you?" Rory asked, eyeing him closely.

"Maybe," he admitted, smiling mischievously. "But hey, is this any wonder? I know I want to marry you for at least eight months now, ever since the accident. Naturally, I also thought about the actual wedding."

"And are you going to share those thoughts anytime soon?" she urged him on, but then she did a double take. "And really? This long already?"

He nodded. "I told you. The accident made some things very clear for me, you being on top of that list. Waking up with you by my bedside, realizing that it really was you I've heard while being unconscious, I knew then and there that this was it. That you're the girl I was going to marry and no one else."

"And you waited this long to actually ask me?" she asked, her eyes wide, but filled with love anyway.

"Yeah. It was still too soon before. And I needed to think everything through… and to carefully test the waters about how you thought about marrying me," he replied softly, caressing her cheek.

"Fool. You know, I probably would have said yes right then and there, had you asked," she said, her eyes suddenly very bright.

He smiled. "Well, how was I supposed to know that? Besides, this way was better, I think. But it does give me hope that you'll agree to my suggestion for when we'll have the wedding," he continued nervously.

She was right. He had pretty much planned it out. He just wasn't sure if she was ready to marry so soon.

"Just spit it out already, Logan," she prompted him, once again rolling her eyes.

"Well, I thought we could marry this summer, after your graduation. Late June perhaps, still giving us some time between your finals, the graduation and my planned leave from the London office in early June," he suggested, searching her face for any reactions. "Our trip to Asia could then be our honeymoon. And when we're back, we can start our new life, together."

She was silent.

Damn it. It was as he had feared. That was too soon for her.

"But we don't have to marry so soon, of course. Just thought that maybe it was a good point in time for both of us. But I can perfectly understand it if you want to wait longer, first set out on your own in the business world before becoming married to me. I'm okay waiting a bit longer, perhaps a year or so, you know? It was just an idea, and I knew it was probably too soon, but... well, I guess I'm just too eager to finally marry you and it would make things easier with insisting to Dad to relocate me to wherever you're going to work and..."

Rory shut him up with a kiss.

"Uh, well..." he murmured when she let go of his lips, unsure what to make out of this.

"I think that was the first time I got to shut you up in a rant," she said, her eyes sparklingly amused. "I see why you prefer to do it this way with me. Sure is funny."

He glowered.

Laughing, she planted another kiss on him before laying down her head onto his chest again, her eyes locking with his. "June, huh? Boy, Grandma will have such a fit when she learns that she barely has six months left to organize our wedding."

He needed a moment to digest her words, but once he did, his eyes widened. "Wait… you're okay with marrying so soon, really?"

"I admit, I never expected marrying right out of college. Given the task to find a date by myself I would probably have chosen something later on," she said. "But you're right. We have been a couple for a while now and when college is over for me, I don't see why this new part of my life shouldn't already be combined with what will dominate the rest of my life - namely being married to you. It's not that I'm afraid that just by marrying you I won't be my own person anymore. Your family may expect that from me, but I know you don't, quite the opposite as it is, and that's all that counts. I know you won't hold me back just because we're married. And, you're right about us marrying soon will make a lot of things for our life together less complicated after the end of the school year and your year here. Also, I like the idea of more or less only having six months for the preparations. Maybe that will stop Grandma and whoever else from making our wedding into too much of a circus. For the very least it will subject us to only six months of craziness and with having the finals I can ditch it for perhaps another month as well. So yeah. We're going to marry in June."

"Seriously?" he asked, still having trouble believing it. Sure, he had hoped that Rory would go for it, but he hadn't really thought she'd agree to it.

She laughed, giving him a kiss. "Seriously. Besides... You're not the only one eager to finally make our relationship official," she quietly added, gazing into his eyes for a moment before laying her head back down onto his chest, her arms slipping around him. "I think we've been apart long enough this year. I need to be with you again, period. And with us married it won't be so easy to just tear us apart again."

"No. No, it won't," he agreed, holding her close to him, kissing the top of her head. "Then again, they may have managed to separate us physically..."

"But we never were really apart anyway," Rory finished the sentence for him, tightening her hold. "Together while apart. I bet they didn't expect that when your dad forced you to go to London for a year."

He grinned. "We sure showed them."

"Hmm. And we still have a lot more to show them, don't we?" she asked, looking up, her smug grin matching his.

"Definitely," he confirmed and brought her up for a deep kiss, rolling them over. There was still a lot to talk about, he knew... but for now, it was time to make a more sincere expression and direct demonstration of the engaged couple they now were, he thought as he entwined his fingers with hers, enjoying the feeling of the rings they had exchanged over the last few days - barely able to wait for the last set of rings they would exchange in six months.

* * *

"So... any idea on the actual date for our wedding?" Logan asked much later, while playing with her hair.

"Actually, yeah, I do," Rory answered to his surprise. "As we're leaving for Asia July 1st, I think the 29th will be ideal. Especially since it's a Friday, giving us the Saturday to enjoy our first day as Mr. and Mrs. Huntzberger in all its glory." She regarded him for a moment. "Of course, I have the suspicion that that may have been the reason why you've put our flights on a Sunday."

He shrugged. "Not necessarily. It's more agreeable to travel on a Sunday than on a Saturday. But yeah, maybe I _did_ think this way it would be pretty convenient. You sure you don't want the wedding on Saturday though?"

"No. First, I don't like the number thirty that much and I always wanted a nine in my wedding date, that or a complete booze date. I'm not waiting with our wedding until the 11th of November 2011 though," she denied on the spot. "Besides, this way, we may limit the number of guests some more, some of them not wanting or able to come on a workday. Those who are really important to us would save the day for us without any problem," she added with her eyes gleaming impishly.

He laughed. "I like the way you think, future Mrs. Huntzberger." He paused, frowning. "Uh, by the way, how do you think about that? Do you even want to take on my name?"

"Yeah. But I'd like to officially go with Gilmore-Huntzberger," she answered. "And as L.L. Gilmore for work. Mainly because I'm the last one of the Gilmores, you know."

"That's okay, Rory. You don't need to explain. I would even understand it completely if you don't want to take on my name at all," he assured her and it was the truth. He was glad that she wanted to take on his name at least partly, but he wouldn't have minded otherwise either.

"No. We're going to become a family so I think that should also be shown in our names. And if I had a brother, I wouldn't mind taking first the Huntzberger name only. But I really think Grandpa would like very much for his name to live on and strangely, so do I," Rory answered though.

"Who knows? You may still get a brother, now with your parents married," he smirked.

"Yeah, and if that happens, he'd be a Hayden," she countered. "But what about you? Do you want to include my last name to your name?"

Never really have thought about that before, he mulled over her question for a moment. His decision was made fast and easy though. "Yeah. Change it to Huntzberger-Gilmore. You're right, our names should reflect us. And Heaven knows I'd rather be a Gilmore than a Huntzberger, apart from the fact, of course, that then we'd be related and I seriously would have a problem with _that_."

"I figure. For the record, I'd be seriously displeased by that as well."

"Happy to hear that," he smirked. "Hey, since we're already at settling our names, how about that when we have two children, we'll name them too with slightly different last names. One with Huntzberger first and one with Gilmore first so both of the names will be carried on at least to the next generation?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You think we can do that?"

He shrugged. "It's unusual, I admit, but why not? We are the Gilmore-Huntzbergers or Huntzberger-Gilmores. We will carry both names. Why not our children as well?"

"Yeah, why not?" Rory slowly nodded, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you, Logan." She chuckled. "Mr. Logan Elias Huntzberger-Gilmore and Mrs. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Huntzberger. Jeez, I hope we won't have to often make any official announcements. The printing of our names alone will cost a fortune."

"One I'm sure we will be able to afford," he deadpanned.

He received a mild punch for that one. "Ha, ha, very funny."

"Hey, what do you expect?" he defended himself. "You worrying about the costs for printing of our names on some announcements in the face of who exactly we are is kind of hilarious, you've got to admit that."

"Yeah, well, just because we're going to be impossibly rich doesn't mean that we don't have to be conscientious about our expenses," she just lectured him though. "Especially seeing as we're about to start a family, planning to have kids at some point in the future as well."

He sighed. "Rory, between you and me we have enough money to get a whole baseball team through the best schools and colleges and they still wouldn't need to actually work to live."

"A whole baseball team? I think not. I draw the line at two, at the most three kids," Rory said, giving him a look. "Besides, didn't you say that you want our children to be brought up to respect the value of money?"

"Yeah, I did," he nodded, rolling his eyes. "Doesn't change the fact of the size of our fortune though." Then he smiled, warmly, stroking her stomach. "And two or three kids are perfectly fine with me, don't worry."

Her eyes met his, holding the same warmth he felt. "Good. But not for a few years yet. I do want to first work on my career."

"Rory, I already told you, I don't want to have children right away either. For now, I want you just for myself for a while longer. But you need to be prepared for our families urging us constantly to have kids from the moment we're back from our honeymoon," he warned her.

She sighed deeply. "I figured that much already when Grandma and Grandpa started to hint how great Cape Cod would be for children. And asking you straight out how you stand about children on the very first family dinner you attended with me."

He laughed, remembering that evening. "God, you have no idea how much they scared me by those hints. Only because that's what I more or less expected by hooking up with a society girl did I manage not to run right then and there."

"You hid it very well," she said dryly.

"Yeah well, no one can say that I didn't get my share of proper etiquette education," he said with a shrug. "But trust me, if I had had the impression that you thought like them we would have never gotten together. It was hard enough to come to terms with needing you in my life so much so that I actually wanted a real relationship with you, exclusive, boyfriend and girlfriend."

"And now look at you, being engaged to that very same girlfriend of two and a half years now," she joked, softly. "Talking about china patterns and kids and all of that without even the slightest panic attack."

"Hmm. To a high society girl whom I actually madly love on top of that," he nodded, gathering her closer. "But I resent that comment about china patterns. I will avoid that conversation for as long as I can."

She laughed. "What is it with guys and their reluctance to pick out china?"

"We're full-blooded, hetero guys," he simply answered, proving it to her with a hungry, ravenous kiss that left both of them breathless and steering their thoughts far away from china patterns.

* * *

"Honey, I'm back!"

Groggily opening an eye, Logan looked around. Rory was still fast asleep in his arms. So that could only mean...

The door to their bedroom was thrown open widely and next thing he knew bright sunlight flooded the room.

"Time to get up, lovebirds!" the same voice as before singsonged, having the audacity to start whistling.

Rory moaned and snuggled deeper into his body. "Make it stop."

Opening his other eye, he glared at the tall Australian standing beside their bed. "Fuck, Finn, go away and please don't come back anytime soon."

"Tz, tz, tz. Really. It was bad enough that you two losers ditched us for Sylvester and New Year. Our holidays are almost over. We need to get the best out of the rest we have. And that's certainly not by still being in bed by four in the afternoon!" the annoying voice just told them though and Logan felt a tug at the bed covers.

Seeing as they both were naked under the covers, Logan sat up with a growl, tugging the cover back and making sure that his Ace was still properly covered. With her being his fiancée now he was even more reluctant for anyone else but him to have a chance to admire her in all her glory. "Finn, I mean it. Leave us alone. You and Colin just go out by yourselves."

"No way," Finn pouted and once again tugged at the cover, harder this time, causing it to slide dangerously low, at least for Rory.

Becoming seriously pissed, Logan yanked it back and glared at the guy who was soon going to be dead. "Finn."

"You can hiss all you want, but we came here to spend time with the two of you and still left you alone for three days," Finn just said, unfazed. But he didn't tug at the cover again. "But now it's enough and I demand my quality time with my love and my best mate."

With a deep sigh, Rory's head came up and she sat up with a tired groan. "Damn it, Finn, can't you wait 'til tomorrow? For your information, we didn't get that much sleep in those three days."

"Way to go, mates! I seriously expect you to not have had much sleep though or you two have some real problems," Finn retorted with a smirk. "All the more reason to go out with us now, so your bodies get adjusted to a normal rhythm again. And exhausting you so much so that you'll have a good nice long sleep tonight to be fit for the last days of our holidays."

"Or you leave us alone now and we will be even more rested for tomorrow," Rory reasoned, yawning, finger-brushing some stray locks out of her face.

"Uh, uh, missy, you'd just go back to do the naughty dance and..." Finn stopped, gasping, and before they knew what was happening Finn jumped onto their bed and grasped Rory's left hand, staring wide-eyed at the engagement ring on her left ring finger while she desperately tried to hold the bed cover in front of her with her free arm. "Oh my God. Oh my God! I don't bloody believe it!" He slapped Logan's back. "You dog! Why didn't you tell us that was why you ditched us! I can't believe you finally did it! Oh, my God! Colin! Colin! Get your sorry ass in here. You won't believe it! Our boy finally did it! He actually did it!" Finn practically shouted, bouncing up and down.

Sure enough, Colin appeared in the doorway soon after, frowning. "Jeez, Finn, what's the ruckus all about?"

Still bouncing and still holding up Rory's hand with the engagement ring on, Finn turned to him, glowing with excitement. "He did it, Colin, he did it! Our mate finally found his balls and did it," he exclaimed, shaking poor Rory's arm all the while.

Colin's frown deepened and he looked from Finn to the hand in question to Logan who was busy glaring at Finn to Rory who was blushing furiously, but nonetheless beaming with a wide, happy grin, and back to Finn and the hand he was holding up. His eyes widened and he was over by the bed in a flash, grasping Rory's hand to study the ring as well. And he started to grin. "About time," he laughed, looking at Logan. "I already started to believe that you chickened out after all, with you taking so much time."

"Well, as you two can see, I didn't. Now would you please let go of my fiancée before you rip out her arm?" Logan asked through his teeth, glaring.

Right now, those two were definitely stuck on the con list, he thought darkly.

Rory sighed in relief when Finn and Colin released her hand finally. "Thanks. Now if you could leave as well, that would be great," she told them, holding up the covers some more.

"Leave? Now? What are you thinking, love? Certainly not! Our best mate finally popped the question! And now he and our love are going to marry! Naturally, we've got to celebrate this now!" Finn protested, but at least he bounced off their bed.

"Finn's right with that one. And I'm going to be the best man," Colin emphasized, daring Logan and Finn to protest.

Not that that would impress the Australian. "Like hell you are! That's my job! Everyone knows that that's my job!"

"Well, I said it first. And may I remind you that _I_'m Logan's oldest friend? This is so my job!" Colin argued.

"Ha! As if those two years make any difference! You were still in diapers then anyway. And I already claimed to be Logan's best man when we were five, so I was so first!" Finn shot back.

Colin snorted. "And I even before you showed up at all, so you lose. Loser!"

"Oh, come on, you can't seriously..."

Finn was interrupted by a loud whistle and he and Colin looked back to Logan. "Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's still me who decides who will be my best man. And I swear to God, if you two won't leave this room right now, I'm going to ask Josh to be my best man. Now out!"

"Hey, man, you can't do that!"

"Josh?! Have you lost your mind?"

Logan just pointed outside, glaring.

Grumbling, Colin grabbed Finn and dragged him out with him. "We're still going out to party!" Finn shouted back though. "I'll give you two thirty minutes before I come get you."

They were finally alone again. Slipping out of the bed, Logan padded to the door and closed it, sagging against the door. "I know. My friends. Big, big con."

Her arms sinking down, Rory chuckled. "Then again, it's nice to see how happy they've been about the news."

"I guess so," he sighed and looked at the closed door. "I just would have appreciated it more if they hadn't barged in here like that. Besides, what did you expect?" he asked, looking back at her. "They love you. And they've been nagging me to propose to you since year one. Of course, they were happy to hear that I've finally done it."

Rory looked surprised. "Really?"

Laughing, Logan padded back to her and leaned down to give her a light kiss. "Really really. They drove me crazy, I tell you." Straightening up, he sighed. "What now? Do you want to go out?"

"I don't think Finn will leave us a choice," Rory smiled.

Logan shrugged. "I could lock the door."

"And he'll just pick the lock. Or kick it down. Or find some men to unhinge it," Rory pointed out.

For a moment, Logan thought about that. "Probably," he conceded in the end.

"Besides, they're right. We've had all of yesterday and today to celebrate our engagement just between the two of us. These are your best friends, they're happy for us and they want to celebrate it and I think they have every right to want to," Rory said and true to her word slid out of the bed as well to get up on her toes to kiss his nose. "So stop grumbling and get ready."

Instead, he gathered her up in his arms. "Bossy, are we?"

"Well, now that I've got your ring on my finger I can finally show my true self," she retorted, grinning.

He grinned back. "Ha, I knew this nice, angelic girl you always put out is just a facade."

"Exactly. In truth I'm this terribly bossy know-it-all who just wants your money and status." She checked him out. "And maybe also you as my very own sex-slave."

"Hmm, I think I like _that_ one," he murmured, tightening his hold to kiss her deeply.

At first she sank into the kiss, but then she suddenly pushed him away. "No, no, no. You shower, now. I'll find something to wear in the meantime."

Reluctantly, he let her go. "Okay, okay. But Finn can throw the biggest tantrum the world has ever seen, I give him three hours max and then I'm taking you back here."

"Fine with me," she just said with a shrug and followed him to the bathroom. While he turned on the water, she watched him. "Logan?"

"Hmm?"

"That with the best man will be a problem, won't it? I mean, it can't be easy for you to decide between both of your best friends."

Testing the water, he turned back to her. "That's why I'm not going to decide. I'm taking them both as my best men. Finn will be in charge of the bachelor party and Colin will hold on to the rings during the ceremony. They both are going to make their best man speech. And they can share the preparation work." He smirked. "Just don't tell them yet. I want to let them squirm and rot for a while longer. They've deserved that for all the nagging and joking I had to go through for the past three years because of you."

She grinned. "Two best men, huh? Grandma will love that one."

"You're so mean," Logan remarked, shaking his head. "No wonder I love you so much."

"But actually that suits me just fine. This way it will be much more easier for me to get Lane and Paris to be both my maids of honor," Rory said.

He shot her an incredulous look. "_Paris_? You want Paris to be one of your maids of honor?"

She shrugged. "If I had to choose I'd pick Lane. But I wouldn't feel completely right about it. I know, Paris is - well, Paris, but she really became sort of a best friend as well these past years. In some ways, she's closer to me than Lane while in other ways, Lane's closer. This way, with both of them as my maids of honor, feels right."

With a sigh, he nodded. "Well, you've got to know it best. But I'm not making Doyle a part of my party, no way."

Laughing, she stepped to him and kissed him. "Don't worry, you won't have to. I think with having two of each we better leave it at that and not add a flock of bridesmaids and groomsmen on top of that."

"Ah, yet another thing Emily will love to hear," he smirked.

"I bet. Now take your shower," she told him, pushing him under the hot stream of water.

Gripping her hand, he pulled her with him and she stumbled in with a yelp. "And I'm thinking we should share the shower," he told her smugly, keeping her from falling by pushing her up against the wall. "Remember, Finn's going to come back for us soon. We wouldn't want to be late," he murmured against her neck, leaving a trail of kisses on her wet skin.

Her head fell back to give him a better access to her neck. "No, I guess not," she breathed. "That would indeed be… unfortunate."

"Exactly," he agreed while pushing her higher as she was slinging her legs around him.

* * *

"Your turn, Logan!"

Raising an eyebrow, Logan quickly exchanged a look with his fiancée (God, how he loved to call her his fiancée!), shrugged and went obediently to the bar to get Finn and everyone else another round. The last one, if it was up to him. Celebrating with their friends was nice, but frankly said, in the moment he was way more interested in just spending the remaining time he and Rory had, together. Making love, talking more about their wedding and their future - just be together.

The past six months had been hard, with being so far away from his heart, no matter how close they managed to remain despite the physical distance between them - but he had a feeling that the months until summer would be twice as hard. Somehow, these holidays had brought home so very much just how wonderful and satisfying it was to live together with his Ace. And now with finally having the absolute certainty that they loved each other and would be marrying soon, start a family one day... The thought of being separated from Rory was nearly unbearable and really the only shadow that marred his otherwise complete happiness.

Then again, it was only for five more months, wasn't it? And they'd see each other again for Valentine's Day. And as often more as they could arrange it. Plus, he had bought them the webcam so they would be able to see each other daily.

Still...it was not the same, no real substitute to have her with him, able to touch and kiss her whenever he wanted to, make love to her.

"Logan? What a coincidence! It's great to see you."

Blinking, Logan turned around. "Bobby, hey. What are you doing here?"

"We closed the Richards deal today," Bobby answered and nodded over her shoulder. "Steven and David are here as well."

"Really? Good work. Richards sure was a tough nut to crack," Logan nodded. "I knew why I gave it to you to close it."

"Thanks. Hey, why don't you join us? You did all the preliminary work for it after all," Bobby suggested.

Logan was just about to answer when he felt Rory's hand on his shoulder, just before she appeared at his side. "Hey, Logan. Finn's glass is empty so he sent me over to see where you are with the supply."

The bartender chose that moment to come back with the bottles of champagne and whiskey he had ordered and Logan, slipping an arm around his Ace's waist, pointed at him. "There it is. Rory, you remember Bobby, my assistant?"

"Sure," Rory said and Logan had to suppress a smile at the sudden coldness in her voice. She sure was cute when jealous, no matter how ridiculous that was in the first place. "Hey, Bobby. How are you?"

"Rory. Good, and you?" Bobby smiled back.

Leaning her left elbow onto Logan's shoulder, Rory beamed back. "Absolutely fantastic."

Logan could swear he saw her wriggling a little with the finger that now wore his engagement ring and did smile this time. Bobby too noticed it and her eyes widened in surprise. "My, my, looks like congratulations are in order, right?"

Rory spread her fingers and held her hand out. "Oh, you mean our engagement? Yes. Logan asked me two days ago. We're here to celebrate it with our friends. Hey, why don't you join us? The more the merrier."

Logan raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised at Rory's offer, but he shrugged. "Sure. Rory's right. Go get the boys and come over."

"Of course. We'll be right over," Bobby nodded with a grin and vanished into the crowd.

"Ugh, she's such a bitch," Rory grumbled right away.

Logan gave her a look. "I don't know what you have. She was perfectly nice to you. And she seemed happy for us."

Rory sighed and shook her head. "It's almost cute how ignorant you've become of wiles like that woman is sending off." She grabbed his head and kissed him briefly. "Not that I complain."

He thought about protesting, but in the end he settled with a shrug and paid the new bottles. "If you hate her so much, why did you invite her over then?"

"Hate is too strong a word. She's just annoying," Rory corrected him and took the champagne. "And to rub it into her face of course. That I've won and got you for good while she got nothing." She huffed. "It may be petty, but the more she sees how happy and so in love we are, the better. And it's not like she could ruin our night. Nothing could bring me down from the cloud I'm on at the moment."

Logan smiled and shook his head. "Rory Gilmore, I think I'll never figure you out completely. But I love you anyway."

"Why, I sure hope so, Mr. Huntzberger. Wouldn't want you to get bored in twenty years," Rory smiled.

Reaching their table, Logan put the bottles down to take his bride-to-be into his arms. "Never," he assured her lovingly and kissed her, ignoring the cat whistles from his best friends.

* * *

Settling back into her seat, Rory put up the arm rest and curled up against Logan, letting out a deep, contented sigh. "This has been the most beautiful Christmas and New Year holidays I've ever had."

"Likewise," Logan smiled.

"And the best of it all is that I don't even have to leave you, but have you coming back home with me," she murmured. "Even if it's only for three days."

"Yeah, I've got to be the bad, heartless guy who leaves you once again," Logan replied sarcastically, his thumb caressing the back of Rory's hand.

"Look at it this way… as the man you're more capable to bear the emotional pain resulting from having to leave the one you love behind," she suggested, looking up at him.

Logan smirked. "I'd never thought Id hear you admit that we men are the stronger sex."

"Blame my still newly-engaged-excited mind for being still in awe and all giddy like a five year old," Rory gave back and, as the plane started to taxi, sat up straight. "Besides, I only said that you insensitive hunks deal better with emotions 'cause you ignore them anyway most of the time. I didn't say that you're stronger in general. I think that Mother Nature giving us women the delight of childbirth makes it clear, who is really the tough gender here."

"I am so not having this discussion," Logan saved himself quickly.

"Ha. Just because you know you've already lost this one," Rory pointed out and entwined her fingers with his as the plane was taxiing off the runway.

"Let's rather say I know how to pick my battles," Logan clarified and stroked in a calming manner her engagement ring, enjoying the click of the rings against each other. "Besides, we're on the way to tell your family and mine about our engagement. I sort of think it's better to save my strength for that."

"I don't know why you worry so much," Rory said, shaking her head. "Dad, Grandpa and Granma love you and I bet Grandma and Grandpa will be over the moon about finally having the wedding they've envisioned since we've been together come true."

Maybe. But in a way that was almost as scary. Especially the prospect of confronting Christopher as Rory's future husband. And he bet Richard too would have a word or two to say to him about him marrying his precious granddaughter. The brief speech Richard had given him, all those years ago after his prank on Rory, had been scary enough and then it just had been a practical joke. This was the real deal now. And Emily on a roll over their wedding was even scarier.

A thought came to him and he groaned. "Wait… will your grandparents urge us to have our wedding in Cape Cod now?"

Rory laughed and patted his hand. "I have no idea. They did buy the house there though, so it is a possibility. But don't worry. One of the things I'll insist on will be that we'll have the wedding in Stars Hollow." She paused. "That is, if you're okay with that."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Rory, for all I care we can marry on a dump or in the sewers, as long as we say our vows and become a wedded couple."

She gave him a strange look. "Really. You would be okay with _that_?"

Sensing the danger, Logan was quick to do damage control. "No, of course not. I was just saying, like a figure of speech. I do want everything to be perfect. But I really don't mind where we marry, as long as it's you and me at the altar. So Stars Hollow it is. I actually very much like this idea. It's your roots and the perfect place to set out from into your new life. Our new life."

"Good save," came a dry comment from the row behind them.

Logan glared backwards. "Shut up, Colin."

"Excuse me, but as your best man this concerns me also. I've got my duties after all and therefore need to be in on all details," Colin pointed out.

"You wouldn't know a Creola arrangement from a Victorian one," Finn spoke up, opening his eyes to glare over at Colin. "That's why _I_ am the best man and you only my assistant, if you're a good little boy and stay out of my way."

Colin opened his mouth, but Logan was faster than him. "Josh," he warned both of them, looking stern and turned back forward to glance at a highly amused Rory. "Why again have they come back early with us also?"

"Because you need all the back-up you can get when you go tell your folks. And because it's just too boring without you in London," came the answer from the backseat.

"And because Finn pretty much used up all the redheads he could find in London," added Colin.

"That too," admitted Finn good-naturedly.

Shaking his head, Logan met his Ace's eyes. "I'm truly, truly sorry."

Her only answer was to laugh out loud. "Ah, no, it's okay. And trust me, the Star Hollow townspeople will be way worse than the two stooges ever can be." A worried expression came over her face. "Actually, I am kind of afraid of what will happen when Finn and Kirk meet. That can't be good." Her frown deepened. "Actually, I think that may just be one of the worst things that could ever happen to this world."

"Now who's exaggerating?" Logan teased.

But Rory shook her head. "No, Logan, I'm serious. You don't know Kirk. One of them is scary enough. But Finn and Kirk combined? Holy crap!"

"Now, now, now, Love, be careful what you say or you might hurt my feelings. I demand the title of being the craziest guy you know."

Rory held Logan's eyes for a moment longer, pointing backwards in 'see there'-gesture, then sighed. "Just don't say I haven't warned you," she told him softly.

"Relax, Ace," Logan reassured her. "I've dealt with Finn my whole life. I'll handle your Kirk as well."

"When we're home, I want you to repeat that in front of Mom. We'll laugh about that one for years," Rory just told him dryly. "Actually, I think that will definitely be a story for possible kids and grandkids as well."

"You're too funny," Logan replied, but let it be at that.

Her mention of Lorelai reminded him of having to face her. Of all the people he would have to face in the next couple of days, it was Rory's mother who worried him the most. Things between them had never been that great, each and every encounter with her somehow had just gotten worse. Mostly through his fault, he knew that. And he doubted that his brief phone call with her on the day Rory left for London had helped her opinion of him either.

But he couldn't help that now. What was done was done and all he could do now was try to somehow get onto Lorelai's good side. Because he knew only too well that while he was going to be Rory's husband and number one on her speed dial, her mother would always be the most important person in her life and it would kill her if he and Lorelai weren't able to get along.

All the more reason to be nervous about the next day. Scratch that. Scared out of his beejees about meeting one Lorelai Victoria Gilmore the Second to tell her that he was going to marry her little girl.

Damn.

Perhaps he should have asked her for Rory's hand in marriage first after all.

He wasn't sure if living and working in London was enough of an excuse to have missed out on that one.

Shit.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: An update at last - and sorry, I just couldn't resist taking a few jabs against the way they fucked it up in the show. Thanks for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter, I'm happy you liked my proposal so much! Hope you enjoyed this one as well. And stay tuned for the next chapter, where the lovebirds get to tell the folks the big news!)_


	10. Letting the Folks Know

**Chapter 10: Letting the Folks Know**

"You ready?"

Logan stared at the closed door and made a face. "No."

Laughing, Rory grabbed his hand and pushed the door open. "With the best wishes from the Queen, the humble daughter returns home from the land of her ancestors," she called out.

There was a squeal from the right and a second later, his Ace was swept away into a laughing embrace by her mother, her father coming out more slowly after his wife, grinning. Feeling slightly nauseous, Logan took a deep breath and took one step over the threshold before stopping once again.

God, he was nervous. He had almost been less nervous when he had asked Rory to become his wife. Almost. Then again, with Rory he at least had a pretty good idea what her answer was going to be. He had no idea what Christopher and Lorelai's reaction to the news of him marrying their little girl would be.

Christopher spotted him and came over to him to shake his hand. "Logan. This is a surprise. Rory didn't mention that you were coming as well."

Did this mean he wasn't welcome? Mentally shaking his head at his paranoia, Logan offered a shrug. "We weren't ready to part yet and I have some things to do here in the States anyway, so… here I am."

Christopher smiled and gave him a slap on the back. "Well, good for us! Come on in, son." He glanced at his wife and daughter. "Want something to drink? Trust me, this will go on for a while."

Glancing at his Ace and Lorelai as well, who were talking animatedly and too fast to have any real chance to understand them, Logan nodded. "Sure."

"Come on, then," Christopher told him and led him through a small hallway into the kitchen. "What will it be? We have beer, lemonade, coke, water and I could make us some drinks of course."

A drink sure would be nice right now but somehow he doubted that that would improve Lorelai's opinion of him. He suspected she thought him a covert alcoholic anyway already. "Coke would be fine, thanks."

Christopher went about to get them their drinks and Logan used the opportunity to take a good look around. The kitchen was small, but inviting and comfortable. And as neither of the Gilmore girls was famous for their cooking, he guessed the size didn't really matter to them. There was a door that led to another room and curious, Logan wandered over to peek in.

"Was the flight all right?"

The small room was filled with books and there were several Yale memorabilia hanging on the wall. Realizing that this must be Rory's room, Logan felt a rush. So this was the room where his Ace had grown up in.

"Logan?"

Remembering where he was, Logan tore his eyes away as if caught red-handed in the cookie jar. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Christopher seemed to be amused, thank God. "The flight… how was it?"

"Oh yeah, it was a quiet flight," Logan nodded, his eyes drawn back to Rory's room. "It was a bit late, but not by much. We went home first, but only to drop off our luggage and refresh ourselves." And for a rather slow quickie in the shower, but that was definitely not something that Rory's father wanted to hear about. "Rory wanted to come here as soon as possible."

As if on cue, Lorelai's voice drifted in, sounding pretty flabbergasted and shocked, and Logan's stomach made a jump downhill. "Oh, my God, Rory! You're what?"

Suddenly feeling Christopher's gaze heavy on him, Logan swallowed and turned to face him. "I – uh – I proposed to Rory four days ago," he said quietly and hesitantly. He wasn't sure if Rory was okay with telling her dad, then again, there wasn't really a point in keeping it silent anymore, with Lorelai's exclamation of just now. And it was perhaps better he made clear straight out that Rory was engaged and not something else.

Like pregnant for example, giving Christopher a good reason to grab one of those big knives and… Yeah.

The face of Rory's father didn't change, his eyes holding Logan's captive.

"You're engaged?" Lorelai's gasped exclamation once again rang in the silence of the kitchen.

"Yes!" Rory's excited and happy answer followed.

"I hope you and Lorelai are okay with that," Logan added, suddenly remembering that he should probably ask for their blessing now, as it was clearly too late to ask for their permission. He took a deep breath. "I assure you, I love your daughter very much and I would do anything for her. And I have every intention of making her happy for the rest of her life," he stated honestly.

For a moment longer that felt like an eternity to Logan, Christopher held his eyes, his face still not giving anything away. At last, Christopher walked over to him. "I have no doubt about that, Logan. I can see that you love Rory very much." Next thing Logan knew, he found himself in a tight hug. "Welcome to the family, son."

Feeling a rush of relief, Logan nodded, his throat suddenly a bit tight. "Thank you."

With a jovial slap on Logan's back, Christopher let him go. "Of course, if you hurt my little girl, I'll have to kill you," he added nonchalantly, his eyes suddenly hard though.

His eyes widening, Logan's nervousness was back full force and he had a sudden vision of that big knife again. "I won't," he simply vowed, his voice perhaps a tad bit rough.

Christopher nodded and turned just in time to see Lorelai and Rory coming into the kitchen as well, Rory beaming and Lorelai still looking quite shocked. "Did you hear?" she asked, looking at her husband. "Our daughter's engaged."

Smiling, he nodded. "So I've heard. Come here, Honey," he said, opening his arms and Rory flew into them to receive another good, tight hug. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you, Baby. Logan's a good catch."

Over their heads, Logan finally met Lorelai's eyes. She didn't look as if she was of the same opinion as her husband, nor did she look particularly happy. But she said nothing and so, Logan too stayed silent.

"That he is," Rory nodded, her father letting go of her. Still shining with a blinding smile and sparkling eyes, she came over to Logan, her hand slipping into his. "I'm happy," she simply said, looking up into his eyes.

Calming down and nearly forgetting where he was, he wrapped an arm around her to draw her against him and nodded as well. "So am I," he told her quietly.

"Now, this calls for some champagne!" Christopher brought them back to the here (Rory's childhood kitchen!) and now (standing in front of Rory's parents!!) and Logan quickly loosened his hold on his Ace a bit – not letting go though. Sue him, but he needed the reassurance her touch always gave him, especially now with Lorelai still looking at him like – that. "We still have some bottles we brought from France."

"The very best then," Logan said, smiling thankfully at Christopher. He was so glad that at least one of Rory's parents approved of him.

Too bad though that it wasn't the one who meant most to his fiancée.

* * *

"And, any plans for the wedding yet?" Lorelai asked, not exactly the first words she would utter since the announcement, but damn close.

They had settled down in the living room and toasted to their engagement. Rory had recounted a modified version of Logan's proposal and had showed around her engagement ring while Logan had mostly just sat by her, their hands entwined while she talked.

"Yeah, we pretty much nailed all the details down," Rory answered eagerly. "It helped that we really agreed on everything more or less. Most importantly, we're going to marry on the 29th of June."

"This June?" Even Christopher sounded surprised.

"This June," Rory confirmed. "We don't want to have a long engagement and really, most of all we just want to be finally married, starting our life together. As soon as we know where we'll work this coming fall we're going to look around for an apartment where we can move into once we come back from our honeymoon in Asia."

"Don't you think that's kind of soon?" Lorelai asked, frowning.

"Maybe, but that's how we want it," Rory answered and Logan had no trouble hearing the warning in her voice. He guessed her mother would also, but either he was wrong or she simply ignored it.

"Rory, I'm pretty sure I didn't raise you to be the kind of woman who marries right out of college, throwing her own life away just like that."

Rory stiffened, but it was Logan who answered, suddenly not caring so much about Lorelai's opinion of him anymore. He could understand that she may find their wedding in June a bit early, hell, he himself had hardly believed it when Rory had agreed to just that, but he still didn't like the implications in Lorelai's words. "And you haven't. Rory will never in her life end up as a simple trophy wife, even if she'd want that. She's way too smart for that." He met Lorelai's eyes and didn't back down when her glare hit him. Didn't look as if she appreciated his interruption much. But damn it, this was his business now too. Rory no longer belonged only to her, she was as much his now as hers. "And I wouldn't want it any other way, because the last thing I want or need is a clone of my mother. Married to me or not, Rory will have her own career in journalism. So, marrying me does not equal her throwing her life away."

He couldn't help it, those words just hurt and enraged him – for both their sakes. Rory squeezed his hand, faced her mother, too, though. "I couldn't have said it any better. Look, Mom, I know this may not be how you envisioned it, hell, neither did I, but that doesn't change how right it still is. We love each other, we're sure we want to spend the rest of our life together and have our own family in a few years and we just want to have this happen as soon as possible. That is the only reason why we _are_ marrying in six months, which isn't that short an engagement by the way," she emphasized. "And like Logan said, this in no way means that I'm not going to follow my dreams. They just include him at my side now." She glanced briefly at him with another warm smile he couldn't help but return. Damn, this woman had him wrapped tightly around her pinkie finger. Turning back to her mother, she was serious once again. "So please, Mom, can't you just be happy for us?"

Lorelai stared at her daughter for a long time before she finally sighed. "Rory, I just had to tell you what I think. But if this is what you really want, then by all means, let us marry you off."

Logan didn't think that this was much of a blessing, but Rory's face filled with relief and she rushed over to hug her mother. "Thank you, Mom! I really need your help to get everything ready for June. We're marrying here in Stars Hollow of course. And Paris and Lane will be my maids of honor, so that's settled, but I still need a wedding gown and most of all I need you to keep Grandma from going nuts over this. We don't mind a big wedding, but it's still our wedding and you have to make Grandma consider that before she starts going over our heads and you're the only one who can do that."

Despite herself, Lorelai grinned. "Now, that will be fun! A full time job, but she'll have kittens!"

Rory nodded, then turned to face Logan with a mischievous smile. "This reminds me, you will never guess what Logan said in the plane. He actually believes that because of Finn he's well capable of handling Kirk," she giggled.

Lorelai burst out laughing and even Christopher laughed.

Annoyed, Logan gave them all a look. "What?"

* * *

"Logan, what a nice surprise! Richard, look, Logan is here!" Emily exclaimed when she came to greet them all at the door. "We sure haven't expected you, thinking you're in London."

"I hope you don't mind if I impose on you like this, without any forewarning. But I decided to bring Rory back myself, get a few things done here, and well, here I am now," Logan apologized, holding out a box of Swiss chocolate he had brought for her, along with a bottle of wine from Spain for Richard. "Rory and her parents assured me it would be no problem to come along for their evening with you."

"Of course not!" Emily beamed and turned to look at her newest maid, who was already quivering with fear. "Elsie, please put another setting for dinner."

"Yes, Ma'am," Elsie breathed and hurried off with their coats.

"Did you have a good time in London?" Richard asked as he was leading them towards the living room, straight over to the bar. "What can I get you for drinks?"

"Yes, Grandpa, we had an excellent time and I think champagne for all of us would be perfect, since Logan and I are engaged for four days now," Rory answered, radiating with happiness and pride, surprising even Logan with her straightforward approach to spread the big news to her grandparents.

For a moment, there was only stunned silence as Emily and Richard gaped at Rory. Grinning, Rory brought up her left hand and wriggled her ring finger, causing the diamond and sapphires on her engagement ring to sparkle brilliantly. It seemed to work though, because it sure brought Emily rushing over with a squeal, hugging Rory tightly. "Oh, Rory! That's so wonderful! I'm so happy this is finally happening!" She let go of her granddaughter and turned to Logan who found himself in an enthusiastic hug as well. "Ah, Logan, it's about time you got to your senses to make an honest woman out of our little girl!"

"Mom! 21st century, remember? There's no such thing as making an honest woman out of anyone anymore," Lorelai told her dryly as Emily let go, but Richard was already in line to hug Rory tightly as well and then slap Logan's back, shaking his hand firmly. "Oh, shush, Lorelai! Logan, I can't say how happy we are to hear this excellent news."

"Thank you, Sir," Logan answered with a smile, meaning every word. It really was good to have at least some of their folks being just happy for him and Rory.

"Please, Logan, no more of this 'Sir'. You're family now," Richard chided him with another slap onto his back.

Logan nodded. "Okay, Richard, I'll remember that," he said, leaving out that he still had to address his own grandfather 'Sir' regularly.

Emily was admiring Rory's engagement ring while Rory was retelling to her Logan's story about the ring. "It's a wonderful ring, Rory, but then, I'm not surprised," she said, looking at Logan. "Logan always had an excellent taste, as he has proved once again by choosing you and making sure you wouldn't get away, right, Logan?" She turned back to Rory. "Come on, you have to tell us all about his proposal!"

"Right, but you wait until I'm back with the champagne, I don't want to miss a word of this!" Richard agreed, starting for his cellar.

Christopher intercepted him. "Why don't I go get the champagne while you stay here? The two already told us the whole story."

"Excellent idea, Christopher, thank you," Richard nodded. "Look at me, having such a great son-in-law and now getting a great grandson-in-law as well."

"Didn't I always tell you what a nice couple they'll make one day, right the first time we saw them together?" Emily said proudly. "I just knew you two were made for each other."

Neither Logan nor Rory had anything to say to that, but Lorelai had no such qualms. "Oh yeah? I remember Rory telling me that there was a time last year when you weren't happy at all with how close Logan and Rory already were."

"I don't know what you mean," Emily replied stiffly as Rory blushed and was shooting her mother a glare.

"No? When you found out that Logan and Rory were already doing the dirty mambo horizontally?" Lorelai reminded her, grinning slyly.

"Lorelai! That hardly is the right topic for such a wonderful moment!" Richard protested.

"Why not?" Lorelai simply countered though, unfazed. "You think those two would want to marry if the sex was bad between them?"

"Lorelai!" Emily exclaimed, aghast.

And while Logan secretly agreed with Lorelai wholeheartedly, he too would be happy for a change of topic. These were Richard and Emily after all and talking about the sex between him and Rory in front of them, her mother and her father who was just coming back with the champagne was a bit much even for him. He shot his fiancée a look, but she just shrugged, offering him an apologetic smile at least though.

Still shooting daggers at her daughter, Emily turned to him. "Logan, we absolutely have to get together with your parents as soon as possible. Shira and I will have so much to do now, with having to organize your wedding. The guest list alone will be a pest to hammer out."

"And Mitchum and I will have to work out the prenuptial agreement." Richard added. "I'm sure though we'll come to an acceptable contract soon enough that will satisfy all parties. It's not as if one of you is already lacking for money, right?"

Logan exchanged a look with his Ace. There it was. The mayhem had begun!

"Grandma, really, I'll appreciate all the help you can give us, but please remember that this will be our wedding. We want to have the final decision on everything," Rory told Emily carefully.

"Of course, of course," Emily assured, but Logan doubted that anyone in the room would be fooled. He guessed it was his turn to warn them off now.

"And you should know that my family still doesn't know about our engagement, not yet. There simply wasn't enough time to tell them, with us only arriving in the early afternoon today," he told them. "We first went to Rory's parents, then here to go tell the news. I'll talk with them tomorrow of course, but I'd appreciate it if you could wait calling my parents until I had a chance to tell them myself," he asked. 'And until they calmed down,' he added silently. Actually… "Perhaps my mother could call you when she's ready to tackle the preparations, Emily? And my dad you, Richard?"

"In that case, we'll gladly wait of course," Richard agreed. "I'm honored you told us even before your parents, Logan, though I hope they won't mind that too much."

"I doubt that," Logan assured him and he really thought that it would hardly matter other than, his folks would have a much harder time rejecting his engagement with Rory without making quite a social scandal out of it.

Which was exactly why he had wanted Richard and Emily to know before he told his family about his recent engagement.

"What do you think about a wedding in the fall?" Emily asked, jumping ahead. "Or is that too soon for you? A spring wedding would be wonderful as well and we sure will be able to organize everything accordingly then."

"Actually, Logan and I have already settled on a date," Rory told her, glancing at him and her parents for support. "We're going to marry on June 29th, in Stars Hollow, so you don't need to worry about churches or reception halls to book."

"June! But Rory, that's too soon! You can't marry this soon, what will the people think? And what's this nonsense about a wedding in that small town of yours?" Emily gasped, shocked. "I won't deny that it has its own kind of charm but it sure is not a suitable place for the wedding between two of the most important heirs of your generation in our circle."

Rory got her stubborn look Logan knew only too well. "Well, first of all, we don't really care what people think. Those who know us won't think anything of it anyway. And I'm sorry, Grandma, but Stars Hollow is not negotiable. This is my hometown, the town I grew up in and that was always my home and I want to be married there and Logan is more than okay with that. So frankly speaking, you better get used to the idea, because the wedding will take place in six months and it will be in Stars Hollow and nowhere else."

"Rory!" Emily breathed, taken aback.

"Mom, what do you expect?" Lorelai jumped in. "They're grown up and while I'm not too happy about the wedding so soon either, they have thought everything through and know what they want. We'll just have to accept that. Besides, look at the bright side of it. You can organize _the_ social event of the year in only six months. Don't tell me you're not up to meet that challenge."

Emily's face took on an almost affronted look. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I can."

"Well, then it's settled," Lorelai stated, content, and sat back.

Logan had to hand it to her, she sure knew how to play Emily. And he was grateful for her help, really, he was. He just wished, for Rory's sake, that she herself would agree wholeheartedly with them and their plans for the future.

* * *

"Well?"

Turning back to his fiancée, Logan smiled. "It's you," he simply summarized his thoughts of his impression about Rory's room. "I like it. I can see you growing up in here. I can see you being happy here." He hesitated, taking another look around. "And I start to understand your dislike of extravagance better."

Taking a look around, Rory came over to him. "I don't know why, but it means a lot to me that you like it." She shook her head. "Do you know that you're actually the first guy I love who I get to present my room to? Jess had simply wandered in on his first visit to our house when we barely knew each other. And Dean… well, I guess one could count him, technically, but that had been so different and we hadn't been really together at that time either, let alone in love already."

Logan couldn't say that he liked it much when Rory mentioned her exes, never, but he had to admit there was a certain satisfaction at hearing that simple fact. And, glancing at her bed, sure also a good portion of curiosity. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, but he asked anyway, wrapping his arms around her. "What about other things? Like certain things a girl and a boy might do when the cat's out of the house and a free bed is nearby?"

Her eyes glanced to her bed and she blushed as a memory apparently flashed up. He felt a spark of jealousy, but squelched it down. He had to ask, hadn't he? Besides, it didn't really matter. He got the girl in the end, didn't he?

"Well, if you absolutely want to know, yeah, this bed is not exactly a virgin anymore," she finally answered, her eyes going back to him, looking almost irresistibly cute in her embarrassment. "Actually, I lost my virginity here."

Okay, this he didn't really need to know, he thought sourly as he felt another surge of jealousy rush through his veins, but damn it, he couldn't help it this time. The first time was special and though he probably would have run as hell had he indeed been her first, he hated the thought of someone else having her, here and for her first time nonetheless. "I hope it at least had been good," he grumbled, glaring at the suddenly not so alluring bed anymore.

"It was a good first time," Rory nodded, eyeing him. "But it quickly faded when we first had sex and when we truly made love for the first time… It's nothing compared to that." Her arms slipped around his neck and she gave him a slow, inviting kiss. "And I'm looking forward to top those earlier experiences with my fiancé now."

For a long moment, Logan let himself get lost in her enticing kiss, nearly forgetting where they were. But in the end he _did_ remember and with a regretful sigh, he let go of his Ace, putting some safe distance between them. "Ace, you don't honestly believe that we're going to have sex in this bed or anywhere else in the vicinity of this house with your parents just in the next room!"

One of her eyebrows slowly rose into a questioning bow. "We're not?" Her head dropped to the side. "You do remember that we're engaged, right? And my parents aren't next door, they are upstairs."

His eyes rolled upwards. "Doesn't make a difference. Rory, that's your dad up there. The last time he caught us making out he was ready to kill me. And let's not even mention your mother being up there as well!"

The bow rose to a highly amused level. "Hmm, I remember. That was years ago and I hardly think this is the same. Once again, we're engaged and together for two years now. And what do you think are Mom and Dad doing up there at this moment?"

"Rory!" But Logan couldn't help but listen for any sounds coming from upstairs now. Was that a hump?

"Besides, you did notice that there is only one bed in here, right? What do you plan? To sleep on the floor?" Rory continued and her voice was just mocking him now.

Crossing his arms defiantly, he looked at her stubbornly. "Well no, of course not. I figure you have a mat and some comforters here somewhere."

Shaking her head, Rory came over to him to grab his hand and pull him over to her bed. "Logan, don't be ridiculous. You're sleeping in the bed. With me," she said and emphasized her words by giving him a push that forced him to sit down on her bed.

"Rory…"

"And not that you're not awfully cute right now, but please, just shut up now," she added, giving him a kiss that made him forget everything else, even her parents upstairs, and he shut up for a long while after that.

* * *

Carefully slipping his arm out from under Rory's head, he waited a moment for her to snuggle into the pillow before he quietly slipped out of the bed. Not that he actually wanted to leave the warmth of her and the bed or even the sanctuary of her room but he really needed to use the bathroom, now. Finding his clothes in the dark after perhaps five minutes of searching, he quickly pulled on the trainer pants and the blue t-shirt Christopher had lent him before he slipped out of the room.

No way was he going to risk getting caught by one of Rory's parents with nothing else on other than his boxers. It was bad enough as it was. Not for the first time he asked himself why the hell they had agreed to stay the night here instead of their own apartment back in New Haven.

But it had been really late by the time they finally managed to leave the still enthusiastic and happy Emily and Richard and seeing as he had to return to Hartford the next day to go face his family about his impending wedding with Rory they had finally gave in to Lorelai and Christopher insisting they spend the night with them.

Still, he would feel a lot more comfortable in their own home than here under the same roof with Rory's mom and dad. Worse, after just having had sex with their little girl in the very room where she grew from a child into the wonderful woman she was. He still didn't know just how Rory had managed to change his firm resolve about them not having sex in this room. But hell, it had been worth it, even if Lorelai skinned him and Christopher killed him for it.

And that bed of hers now sure held some way better memories than just her losing her virginity in it, he thought with satisfaction and flushed, cringing at the loud sound in the otherwise so quiet house. Damn it. He just wanted to get back to his Ace.

Quickly washing his hands, he turned off the light and opened the door, padding quietly back towards Rory's room, not daring to turn on the light and perhaps wake up one of Rory's parents.

His body collided with another body, nearly bringing them both down. He felt his hand brush against some unmistakable curves and stifled a curse.

Great. Just fucking great.

Pedaling back, Logan hit the wall and felt the light switch at his back. Thank Heaven for small favors! He switched it on and blinked against the sudden brightness. And sure enough, despite his hope that his body had failed him on recognizing his Ace after all, Lorelai stood in front of him in her pajamas, blinking furiously as well.

Of all the damn luck… "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare or surprise you," he apologized hastily. Not to mention for groping her, however unintentionally that had been. "It's just, I had to use the bathroom and I didn't want to wake anyone up so I didn't turn on the light and so I didn't see you when I came out of the bathroom and so…"

Stroking her hair back, Lorelai seemed to come to her senses as well as she interrupted him at that point, thank God. "Logan, relax. You don't have to apologize for a trip to the bathroom. It's not as if I didn't invite you to spend the night here myself."

Logan bobbed his head, though to be precise, it had been Christopher who invited them for the night first, Lorelai only going with that after a moment. "I'm sorry."

"Well, no need to. And please, just turn on the light next time. I assure you, it wouldn't disturb us anyway. We have a door to our room as well, you know," she waved his protest away.

Feeling stupid, Logan merely nodded again. "So I didn't wake you up," he wanted to make sure though anyway.

Rolling her eyes in an all too familiar way, she shook her head. "No. I was just hungry and wanted to grab some snack in the kitchen," She shrugged. "And I'm used to moving around here without any light."

Rory did that too sometimes, getting up for a snack - mostly when she was worrying about something. He wondered if the mother shared with her daughter that very reason for her midnight snack. "Oh."

Lorelai moved past him to the kitchen, and he noticed her glancing at the closed door to Rory's room. He was pretty sure he would rather not want to know what she thought at that moment. "Want something too? Sookie made some pies for the inn and I was able to steal one to take home. Trust me, it will be the best pie you ever ate in your life."

Glancing longingly towards Rory's door as well, Logan sighed inwardly. Lorelai's invitation surprised him, and then again, it also did not. He had the feeling she had been waiting for an opportunity to have a talk with him alone, without Christopher or his Ace around to hold her back. And truth be told, he had some things to say to her as well. So he turned to face her and slowly came close. "Sure. Rory brings home some food from Sookie sometimes and so I can easily believe that this pie will be good."

"Something to drink along with it? Milk, water, coffee?" Lorelai asked, taking out some plates and the pie.

"Water would be fine, thanks," he said and watched as she cut them two pieces of the pie and filled glasses with water. For a good three minutes, they sat quietly at the table and ate their pie.

Lorelai hadn't exaggerated. The pie was delicious. Too bad he couldn't really enjoy it. Sighing, he looked at Lorelai. "Why don't you just go ahead and say what you want to say?"

Rory's mother met his eyes, her eyes so much like her daughters and then again, also so very much different. He briefly wondered if a daughter of theirs was going to have the same eyes as those two and felt a warm rush at that thought. He hoped so. Then though he pushed that thought away and concentrated on holding Lorelai's eyes. He couldn't back down, not now, or he and Lorelai would never find a way to be at least tolerant of each other.

Finally, Lorelai sat back with a nod. "Okay. It's not that I don't like you, Logan…"

"You don't," Logan stated quietly. But, what? It was the truth and he honestly didn't blame her.

"Frankly speaking, I don't know you enough to be able to say if I really like you or not, but that is part of the problem. You claim to love my daughter, and yet you never seemed to bother to really get to know her family and friends here. Her home," Lorelai told him. "But then, I can also see why. I know how you kids grow up and why should the Huntzberger heir care for a bunch of unimportant people in a small town no one had ever heard of? Which is another part of the problem. I didn't raise my daughter like that. She is not like that."

"I know that," Logan emphasized, keeping his voice down though. He didn't want to wake Rory up.

"Do you? Do you really?" Lorelai countered though, giving him a hard look. "Yet, since she met you, she just got drawn more and more into that world, hasn't she? Hanging around with other rich kids just like you, jetting around the world, joining the DAR, attending some of your business soirees… And you still want to tell me that you don't think of her as becoming one from your circle?"

Taking a deep breath, Logan let it out again. "No, I don't, because even if she tried to, Rory could never just be like one of us. And you're right, she did more and more of those things you seem to despise so much. But I didn't force her into any of those things, each and every one of them has been her own decision and hers alone. Actually, a few things you have recited there… I wasn't so hot about either, like her joining the DAR. Or then staying in it. But it's her choice, not mine and sorry, not yours anymore either."

"Do you really think that she didn't do all those things for you? To fit better into your world?" Lorelai snorted.

Frowning, Logan blinked. "Uh, no… Not really." He was silent for a moment, his frown deepening. "Didn't it ever occur to you that perhaps Rory just wanted to do those things for herself? Find out more about the world she was born into, even though you kept her from it? The world of her grandparents?" His eyes narrowed. "The world she will be a part of, at least as soon as her inheritance as the heiress to the Gilmore fortune will come through?"

Lorelai was only glaring at him, saying nothing.

"Do you really think she hasn't figured that out by herself by now? She's the smartest person I've ever met and I've met a few. Of course she figured it out! What did you expect? That Rory will just turn her back on her grandparents and leave everything behind like you did? You of all people should know her better than that. She would never just ignore her responsibilities," Logan said, a lot more hotly than he had intended to. But damn it, it needed to be said once and for all. "Don't get me wrong. I admire your strength to be able to leave it all behind and make it on your own and if you ask me, keeping her away from high society for a while was an excellent idea. But you couldn't expect to keep her out of all this all of her life. And I'm sorry that I was the one who tied her straight back into our world even more than she already was at the time I met her, but it's not my fault that she finally recognized her status and now tries to prepare herself for her impending place in high society." He took a deep breath. Shit, this wasn't going too well, was it? "Being rich is not a fault. Nor that it automatically means that we are all scum or turn to scum as soon as we turn rich. Some of us are, I admit, hell, I know a lot of them. But like you said, Rory isn't like that, and she'll never be, no matter how rich she'll be or just how high her position will be. Which is part of the reason why I love her. She keeps me grounded, teaches me to be a better person than I was when I met her, simply by being herself."

It was Lorelai's turn to frown. "What about her? Who will ground her, who will teach her to not get corrupted by the bunch of you? Even if she maintains the values I gave her, she'll never really fit into your world, Logan. She'll always be an outsider, the people always remembering just who she is and where she comes from. Don't tell me they won't, because I sure know how it works in this circle. Or how your family thinks of her, despite your mother being nothing but a lucky common girl who got pregnant by the right guy."

Well, Logan could hardly deny the truth of her words when he himself refused to take Rory along when he tells his family about their engagement in fear of their reaction. Still… "She's too strong to mind idiots like that. And she knows that the people who love and know her would never think anything like those people. Like her grandparents, like me, like my friends or even my sister. And with all due respect, Lorelai, but times have changed, even among us. My generation can still be snobbish as hell, but hardly anyone will actually think lowly of Rory because of her upbringing," he said grimly. "But in the end, it still wouldn't matter. Rory knows who she is and what is important to her and she'll live to those high standards, ignoring anyone else's opinion. And believe me, should anyone really be stupid enough to still have a go at her, I'll deal with it, despite Rory being well capable of protecting herself. I won't just stand by and let anyone insult my wife!" he assured, quite affronted by the mere implication of such a thing. "Just being married to me will help protect her from such things and if that's not enough, I'll find another way to protect her."

Lorelai's eyes cut into his. "And who will protect her from you?"

Paling, Logan gaped at her, outraged. "From me? I would never hurt Rory! Damn it, I would do just about everything to keep her safe!"

"Not intentionally, no, I can see that," Lorelai admitted, her eyes almost sad all of a sudden. "And believe me, I can even see that you love my daughter very much, which is why we're sitting here now instead of me thinking about ways to make Rory see reason. But you're a gambler, a risk-taker, Logan, taking everything for granted. You never in your life had to fight for anything, not even to win Rory's heart, everything always having been easy for you. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but, in the position you are, neither a good thing. What will happen when things won't go your way, Logan? What will happen if one day, you're the one who loses, the one who fails, and hard as that? Because sooner or later, that will probably happen and I'm afraid of what will happen then. From what I learned from Rory, you have a tendency of avoiding any issue or simply ignoring them. And you also tend to drink too much, especially when something is bothering you."

Logan gritted his teeth, gripping his glass hard. He knew he had to make an effort with Lorelai, but must he really sit here and listen to her throw accusations at him like that, not able to say anything in response?

"It's your life of course and I have no right to judge it, but when you marry my daughter, you drag her right into the middle of all that. You're right, Rory is strong, and yet I've never seen her so lost or confused and so damn self-doubting as when she had been on the outs with you each single time and the first time it happened you weren't even dating exclusively yet. I fear what it will be like for her when you two are married, maybe even when you have children of your own. She shouldn't have to deal with your shit for you, nor have to go through something like that," Lorelai said with bitterness obvious in her voice. "She deserves more than that."

His jaw still clenched, Logan crossed his arms. He didn't like to hear about Rory hurting so much when they had had their problems, and hell, he knew better than anyone that Rory deserved much more than him, but fate had dealt him with the incredible luck that she loved _him_ and by God, he was not going to throw that away. No matter what. "Are you finished now?" he asked tensely.

Saying no more, Lorelai nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Logan reminded himself that he couldn't lose it and then launched himself into his defense. "First of all, yeah, I've been born rich and I _am_ rich and nothing will change that. And yes, my path had always been set for me, with me having to take over the business after my father retires. But you of all people should know that while I won't deny that being born rich and privileged for sure has its advantages, it also has its major drawbacks, like having no choice but to just go along that path that has been set for you. I hated it and yes, for a long time I did everything I could to rebel against it, everything but leaving it all behind like you've done, and yes, that includes a certain irresponsibility, games, screwing around and too much alcohol, pretty much everything I could think of to piss off my dad and the rest of the bunch… always pushing and scolding me about my friends, my choices and every other part of my life. I wasn't allowed to dream, I wasn't allowed to have choices, and I had nothing but money and the few years that were left for me before I was pushed into the very same life my father was leading. And I thought you would understand that, just _because_ you were once in the exact same position as I've been. Maybe I thought wrong or maybe I just screwed it up before you even got a chance to understand it because, and I know that only too well, you really only saw me on my worst when we met and the most you heard from Rory about me was probably when she was pissed off with me. And I am regretting that, really." He stopped, looking at her.

She said nothing, her mouth was pressed tightly together though.

Okay, so be it, he wasn't finished yet anyway. Leaning forward, he made sure he had all her attention. "But everything changed the moment I met Rory. Or at least when I realized that I was head over heels in love with her. Nearly losing her kind of woke me up and when I had that accident last year…" His voice trailed off and he looked away for a moment. He never had talked with anyone but Rory about his near death experience and somehow it just felt wrong to talk to someone else about it, but he needed her mother to understand, so he continued. "It made me think hard about my life and what I wanted and I finally understood a few things. Like why I haven't left it all behind like you've done for example. It wasn't because I didn't have the courage to leave or because I didn't want to lose the money and privileges I've grown accustomed to. No, it was because I want the business after all. Since I've met Rory, seeing her enthusiasm about journalism, I started to remember that I love it too. I love writing, I love the hustle and bustle in reporting the news and I even love the whole management side of running a newspaper business and after the accident I finally admitted to myself that the only reason why I had hated my path so much was because I was pushed into it… it not being my free choice. But with realizing that, I made it my choice and so I went along with my father's orders and left for London after my graduation, despite it being the hardest thing to do, for I had to leave Rory behind like for that. I was scared shitless that the distance would make me lose her in the end, but I had to do it. For both of us. Because I knew that in order to make her happy I first had to find a way to make myself happy and be proud of what I'm doing in my life. Because Rory would never love anyone less than that or would want to spend her life with such a person. And spending my life with Rory was, is and always will be on the top of the list of the things I want in my life."

He swallowed, eyeing his Ace's mother. Her expression didn't tell much but he thought he saw at least some understanding in her eyes at last.

"I'm sorry I hurt her in the past," he finally continued, his voice thick. "I hate that, because hurting her is not what I want to do. But believe me, I was hurt too and it had been hard, those times when we were apart. Nor is it especially easy to be so far away from her now, not able to be here for her, no matter if it's for good or bad times." His eyes hardened. "But with all due respect, I haven't been the only one who had hurt her. You've done your part in that as well in the past, when you refused to see her when she had dropped out of Yale and believe me, I was there, she had been hurt much more than I ever could have hurt her, at least up to that point." He let that sink in for a moment, before he continued, more softly. "And if you are not able to accept our love and our marriage, you will hurt her again, Lorelai. Because we _are_ getting married, with or without your or anyone else's blessing, because that is what we both want and need. But I also know that she'll never be completely happy if you can't accept me or her decision. And for that I hope we can find a way to get past our animosity and for now find at least a way to be civil with each other." He looked at her, gauging her reaction. None so far. He sighed. "And I also hope that with time, when you see just how very much I love your daughter and would do my best to make her happy as much as possible, but also that I've matured and am making a life on my own, going my own way, though with Rory at my side of course, you maybe will even start to like me."

He still held her eyes and no, it wasn't at all a comfortable place, being the object of scrutinizing eyes, but he refused to look away, let her see all of him.

It had seemed like an eternity and the longer it took, the more his heart beat heavily and the less hope he felt.

Well, at least he had given his best to try to mend things with Lorelai at least a bit.

But eventually, to his surprise, Lorelai gave a small nod. "Okay, tell you what… I'll keep my doubts to myself and you get another chance. You hold what you just promised, we won't have a problem with each other anymore." She hesitated for a moment, making a face. "Maybe I am a bit shortsighted where you're concerned, you remind me too much of stuff that isn't so dear to me and I may also have failed to see those changes in you that you've mentioned. So I'll try to get to know you better, see you as you are now, while you give me a chance to just do that in the first place. Deal?"

Feeling as if a heavy weight had just been lifted from him, Logan smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a fair deal to me," he answered seriously.

Holding out her hand, Logan's smile deepened as he took the hand to seal their deal.

"Enough of this stuff now. Eat your pie. I warn you, leaving something so delicious is considered a crime in this house," Lorelai changed the topic, picking up her fork to help herself to another big bite of the pie.

"Don't worry, Rory taught me well about this concern," Logan assured her and helped himself to a big bite himself.

They didn't talk much more while they ate their pie, but then again, there wasn't anything more to be said at the moment.

It was a start.

* * *

"Master Logan, we didn't expect you," William, his family's butler for almost thirty years now, greeted him, looking not at all surprised though.

"It was a spur of the moment," Logan told him and stepped into the house he had grew up in, struck at how cold it felt compared to the small but oh so warm home of Rory. He could only hope that their home would be filled with that incredible warmth instead of the coldness that always had filled this mansion. "Are my parents in?"

"Yes. Your mother is still resting though. Your father is in his office. Your grandfather hasn't risen either yet," William answered, taking his coat. "So you wish us to prepare your room, Master Logan?"

"No, that won't be necessary, I won't be staying that long," Logan answered and looked into the direction of his father's office. He had come so early in the hope to catch his father alone first, because really, it was his opinion which would dictate the reaction of the entire family. "Maybe I'll be here for lunch though, I'm not sure yet. You better ask an hour beforehand."

"Of course, Master Logan. Do you wish me to bring something else in the meantime?" William asked in his calm way.

Logan still did a double take, glancing at him. He had always liked William, even though he always had a big respect for the man as a child and so far, William seldom had been so formal with him, only if the situation called for it. He wondered what had brought on the change in his behavior but let it go then. There were other things to tackle, he thought darkly. "No. Just make sure my father and I won't be disturbed."

William nodded. "Yes, Sir," he said calmly, then hesitated though. "May I inquire about the well being of Ms. Gilmore?"

Despite everything, Logan couldn't help the big smile that automatically formed on his face. "Oh, she's very well, William, trust me. Thanks," he added, meaning it, before he turned to head to his father's office with a sigh.

Like expected, his father was at his desk, bowed over some documents. Probably the summary of the articles chosen for the various papers they owned. His father always wanted to be in the loop. Entering, Logan quietly closed the door behind himself, knowing that that would ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed even more than the warning to William. Everyone in this household knew better than to disturb the master of the house when his office door was closed. "Dad."

Startled, his father looked up, a big frown forming on his forehead. "Logan. What are you doing here?" he wanted to know and Logan could feel him already being prepared to listen to his son confessing to another stupidity that had gotten him into trouble.

Well, not this time, at least he still hoped that his father would see the difference in it. Coming forward, he came to a stop in front of his father's desk, forcing him to look up at him. "I've brought Rory home. I'll fly back tomorrow, don't worry. But I need to talk to you."

He had expected his father to sigh or frown, asking what Logan had done this time with that resignation that always made Logan feel so inadequate, but his father surprised him by only giving him a brief, hard look before leaning back. "Well… and what do you want to say?"

A bit caught off guard, Logan frowned but recovered soon enough, straightening his back and standing a bit taller. "I've asked Rory to marry me a few days ago," he answered, coming straight to the point. His father didn't like talking around the issue and it was one of the few things Logan appreciated about his father. "She accepted my marriage proposal and we are now engaged to be married in June. We've already told her parents and grandparents yesterday and Richard and Emily are expecting you and mom to call them soon to sort out the details."

For a long while, his father said nothing, just studied him with that scrutinizing look of his. But Logan didn't allow himself to squirm under his gaze. Not this time. This time, he needed to be strong, so his father would understand that he was dead serious about this. The pencil in his father's hand was twisted around once before his father sat forward again. "June. That's pretty soon. Did you get her pregnant?"

Stiffening, Logan felt himself scowling. "No. That's your reason to get married, not mine. I proposed because I love her and she said yes because she feels the same way. The only reason why we'll marry so soon is that we want to finally be together for good and start our life together."

There was a flame of anger in his father's hard eyes at the mention of how he and his wife had come to be married, but it was gone as soon as it had flared there. "You realize that with Richard and Emily already aware of the engagement there's not really a good way for you to get out of it anymore," he said, awfully conversationally.

"First of all, the last thing I want to do is to get out of my engagement to Rory. Second, yes, I know and I'm counting on it," he agreed, eyeing his father before he gave a humorless smile. "I'm well aware of the things you said about Rory in the past and as I really want to marry the girl I love I thought it couldn't hurt if I make it a bit harder for you to do anything about our engagement." He shook his head. "Though I still fail to see what your problem is. You've got to admit that I could have chosen much worse than the heiress to the Gilmores in the end. Not to mention that she also is the eldest daughter of the Hayden heir. Even if her little sister gets the bulk of that fortune, she too will receive her nice share. So Rory is of my wealth, my status and on top of that beautiful, intelligent and sophisticated. Plus, only a blind person would fail to see her talent in journalism. She is perfect to be my wife, even if I wouldn't love her so much." His eyes narrowed. "Or is the only reason why you are so against her the fact that I actually dared to chose her on my own and therefore will not just marry who you tell me to?"

With a sigh, his father shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Logan." He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then shrugged. "Truthfully? You are right, you could have chosen much worse. In fact, I'm actually approving. You're right. The young Ms. Gilmore is a promising talent and one of the most eligible heiresses your age."

Logan frowned, caught off guard. "Wait… are you saying that you give us your blessing?" He might have expected his father to see the sense behind his proposal much, much later, but this? No, he hadn't expected to actually not have to defend his choice after all.

His father's smile was mostly ironic. "I doubt that you really care for that, but yeah, I guess you have my blessing." His eyes studied him for a moment. "She is good for you, Logan. I was at first worried about your relationship because I feared she would screw up your focus even more than it already had been, but I had been wrong. She calmed you down, she helped you mature finally and I guess she also has a part in how you have proved yourself so much in your position in London."

Oh yeah, that she had, but still… "So you're saying that you have nothing against us marrying? You will not try to drive us apart again… or stop this from happening?"

Annoyed, his father gave him an exasperated look. "For the last time, Logan, yes, I agree, you couldn't have chosen better for yourself and I am sure your marriage to Ms. Gilmore will be a great asset for this family and our business."

Logan honestly didn't know what to say. He had come prepared to fight and, if the shit hit the fan, even to renounce his inheritance and walk out of his birthright and this family. This now was highly unexpected. Mistrustfully, he eyed his father. "And Mom and Grandpa won't throw stones at her again either?"

"I can hardly control their reaction," his father answered impassively, both of them knowing only too well that his opinion was law in this household and was imposed with consequences to those who dared to go against it. "But I believe they too have seen the positive changes in you since you've met this girl and have changed their views regarding the relationship between you and Ms. Gilmore."

Huh.

"I'll call Richard in the next few days, as soon as I had a chance to talk to our lawyers to draw up the prenup agreement. You or Rory can inform him of that," his father continued, looking down at his reports. "Now if that's all…"

Logan still had trouble believing that his engagement to Rory was accepted just like that but that question at last brought him back to his senses - more or less. "Actually no, that isn't all. I need to talk to you about your plans for me after this summer."

"What about them?" his father asked absentmindedly, still reading over his reports.

"First of all, I'd like to have a say in what I'll be doing where. I think my work in London proves that I can be let off the line, at least to some part. And obviously, if you insist on placing me somewhere after all, I'd like you to consider that it's not just me anymore. I'll have a wife then and logically, we want to actually be able to also live together. We don't have any idea where Rory will be employed coming fall, but as we have branches of the Huntzberger group pretty much everywhere in the country and some abroad I'm sure it won't be too much trouble for me to be able to work in the area where my wife will be."

At last, his father looked up again, a deep frown between his eyes. "I'm sure it can be arranged that you two work closely together. Of course, Ms. Gilmore will work for us after her graduation, as your wife."

Logan tensed, suddenly seeing a problem he hadn't even thought about. Quite stupid of him, but he had worried so much about a negative reaction of his family to his engagement with Rory that he hadn't even considered that his father of course would expect Rory to work for them. "No, Dad," he protested flat out. "I don't expect Rory to work for us just because she's marrying me. She has her own dreams and we both want her to pursue them. Maybe she is considering joining the Huntzberger Group, but it's not her only option. She'd really like to have the _New York Times_ internship and will be applying for it, as well as send her resumes to other papers."

His father's frown deepened. "This is nonsense. The wife of the future head of the Huntzberger Media Corporation group will either only do volunteer work for non-profit organizations like your grandmother and mother have done or she will work for us. She for sure will not work for the competition or any other media companies."

Telling himself to stay calm, Logan set his jaw and met his father's stare with one of his own. "_My_ wife will do whatever she likes and work for whomever she wants to. Neither I nor you, Dad, will force her to work for us if she doesn't want to. I mean it, Dad. Leave Rory alone," Logan warned, surprised himself about just how cold and lowly warning his voice sounded. But by God, his father had screwed his Ace once over, he wouldn't let it happen for a second time. His eyes narrowed. "Don't try to sabotage her interviews, don't use your influence in the business, and just stay out of my fiancée's life."

A muscle in his father's jaw jumped and his lips pressed together. Always a good indicator that he was losing his temper, as Logan knew only too well. Usually, at this point he mostly would have started to give in or retreat, not this time though. Not when it was about his Ace's future.

"It's unlikely she'll get a job anywhere else anyway, without me giving a hand. Only a fool would hire the wife of the Huntzberger heir," his father said, tightly. "Her loyalty to another paper would always be questioned."

"We're not stupid, we are aware of that," Logan replied, holding his father's eyes. "And like said, Rory's not completely opposed to working for us. But she can still hope to get the internship at the _Times_ or that other papers should see her integrity and will hire her despite her connection to me and our Group and if that happens, Dad, you will just have to accept that. I won't let you dictate Rory's life like you have dictated mine all of my life."

Another muscle twitched in his father's face and his pale eyes narrowed. "And how will you manage to stop me from doing that?"

Logan braced himself. "By walking out the moment I turn twenty-five," he told his father calmly.

There was a cruel twist in his father's smile. "And you want me to believe that you'd just leave everything behind? Your inheritance… your position… your legacy?"

"If it's either that or my wife's happiness, yes, Dad, without a second thought," Logan just answered quietly, but firmly. "Besides, you seem to forget that at least my trust fund and the inheritance from Grandma will come through when I'm twenty-five. It will be enough money to help me start my own paper. And between Rory and me, we'll still have enough to live by for a few years. So really, Dad… if you want me as your heir to take over the Group, you better leave me and Rory alone, especially Rory."

His father said nothing but his jaw was so clenched that it spoke volumes.

Logan smiled humorlessly. "You wanted me to grow up, Dad. Take on responsibilities. Well, I have. I'm no longer the boy you could command around with a snap of your fingers. I'm my own man now, with my own responsibilities. But I'm not you, Dad. My first responsibility is and will always be my wife and I'll do what I'll have to do in order to keep her safe from you." He shrugged. "I love her. And she loves me. And that, Dad, makes all the difference in the world, because with her at my side, I'm strong enough to face everything. Even losing my position as your heir. I am not afraid of being disowned. So don't threaten me, Dad, and especially don't threaten Rory. I won't take that kindly," he finished, icily.

He waited for a moment, but for once his father actually seemed speechless. Well enough. Nodding, Logan turned around. "I guess I'll be hearing from you. Tell Mom and Grandpa I said hi. Bye, Dad."

He walked out without looking back once. And his steps were still amazingly light.

* * *

"Well?" Rory asked warily when he walked into their apartment back in New Haven.

Logan just walked over to her and enveloped her into his arms, kissing her deeply.

"That bad, huh?" she sighed once he let go of her.

Not liking at all how dejected she looked at him, he was quick to smile at her reassuringly, stroking a stray strand of her hair back. "Not so much. As it is, Dad actually very much approves of my choice and gives us his blessing."

"Really?" Rory asked skeptically, eyeing him with a slight frown.

He nodded. "Really really. Those were his own words." Thinking over his words, he made a face. "Well, maybe he changed his opinion after I told him that I won't allow him to force you into working for us. I had said all I had to say and had walked out, so I'm still waiting for the final verdict, I guess. But before that he seemed almost happy about the news of us getting married."

Her frown had deepened with every word he had said and staring at him, she made an incredulous face. "Why don't you start from the beginning?" she finally asked, moving over to the couch to sit down.

Joining her, Logan gave her a full recount of his talk with his father, leaving nothing out. When he finished, she sat there quietly for a long time, digesting all of it. Sighing, she shook her head. "Well, I guess this shouldn't be much of a surprise. It makes sense that your father wants to insist on me working for you."

Logan shrugged. "Yeah well, his problem. You just do whatever you want to do the most and when you graduate, you'll decide which appeals most to you, regardless of whatever Dad thinks you should do. You have to promise me that," he insisted, wanting her to have absolutely no doubts about this.

"He has the means to make other papers not hire me though, doesn't he? I mean, it will be hard enough to find a position in another paper as it is, with me married to you and if he then lets the word out that he wouldn't be happy about anyone hiring me on top of that..." Rory's voice trailed off.

Taking her hands into his, Logan urged her to look at him. "Listen, Rory. Yes, it won't be easy and yes, Dad really has a lot of influence. But it's not like he's the godfather of the news business. Some papers may have too much fear of him, but there are others. The _Times_ is one of those for sure. I'm sure some of them are willing to hire you, give you a chance. So don't lose hope," he tried to assure her. "Besides... I really don't think he'll risk me walking out on the Group and I made sure that he knows that that will be exactly what I'll be doing the second he starts to meddle with your life. And if not..." he shrugged again, "As the French say: _Tant pis_. It wouldn't be that much of a loss."

Her worried blue eyes studied him intensely. "Logan, this is your family. Your father."

With a smile, Logan cupped her cheek. "And I've already told you that this doesn't really mean that much to me. We were never very close, nor was there ever much love lost between us. We just… lived, coexisted. I don't really need them. You are my life though and I need you as I need the air to breath. Believe me, if it really comes down to a choice between you or my family and the family business, there is no choice to make. Because you are my family now, having said our vows or not. Marrying is only making it official."

"Logan," she sighed, obviously torn between sadness and joy.

He gave her a gentle, soft kiss. "As long as we have each other, everything will be all right," he whispered against her lips.

Laying her head onto his shoulder, they just enjoyed being together for a moment. Eventually, Rory sighed. "And I guess it's only fair if your father has reservations against me after all. This way we're at least even, with my mom giving you the hard talk as well." She leaned back to gaze into his eyes. "For which I am sorry by the way." She smiled. "Not that you haven't held up just fine against Mom's wrath, from what I've heard."

He groaned. "You heard?" His talk with Lorelai the previous night was definitely not something he had wanted Rory to know about, let alone hear it. And he was pretty sure her mother shared at least that desire with him.

It was her turn to shrug. "I woke up when you got up and went out of the room, so yeah, I heard most of your discussion." Her eyes turned serious. "And she _is_ wrong. You're not irresponsible, you never really were. Well, sometimes perhaps but that was more stupidity and the thirst for rebellion on your part than actual irresponsibility or immaturity. But like you've said, you've calmed down a lot since your accident and I have absolutely no doubt that I'll always be safe with you, in every way possible, be it my body, my heart or even my dreams. No matter what comes, you'll be there for me, I know that and it's part of why I love you so much. And why I am so very sure about marrying you."

"Rory," he murmured, drawing her into his arms again and they shared yet another kiss, this time full of love and promise… a confirmation of their decision to be united as one.

"At least Dad and my grandparents seem to be just happy for us," Rory said with a sigh, laying her head back against his shoulder.

Caressing her back, he smiled. "And don't forget Finn and Colin. They couldn't be happier. Same with Honor. I drove by on the way home to tell her the news and she's over the moon about gaining you as a sister for sure now." She looked up and he was happy to see that the news had cheered her up. "Actually, she insisted on taking us out for dinner tonight to celebrate. I said I'd first have to ask you but if you don't mind, I really would love to spend some time with her and Josh tonight."

"Of course, you know I like them very much. It will be nice to celebrate with them as well," Rory immediately agreed. "And Lane's happy for us as well. I went to see her before I came home and she's really thrilled."

"How is she?" Logan asked, curiously.

"Huge and complaining every second about it but still never have been more happy, I think. She misses the music though. Looks like they hadn't practiced much lately," Rory answered with a smile.

Logan nodded, not knowing what to say more to that. It wasn't exactly easy to talk about someone you barely knew, though he thought he knew Rory's best friend at least to some degree through everything she had told him about her. Still, he really needed to finally get to know Lane better. Unfortunately that still had to wait a bit though. He simply didn't have the time for that as he had to leave the next day for London again.

"And I've also called Paris while I waited for you," Rory continued.

Logan made a face, knowing only too well what Paris thought of him. Well, she at least he knew well enough by now. Unfortunately. "And?"

"She guardedly approves," Rory told him, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "You are back to be the fourth Bee Gee though. Doyle though is elated about us marrying."

He made a face at the mention of the little guy. "Ace."

Grinning, she put on an innocent face. "What? Ever since you've bonded over the penguins' film after your accident he's become a really big fan of yours. He thinks of you as a good friend."

Sighing, Logan shook his head. "And that's nice, but, Ace… it's _Doyle_."

"Well, sometimes you can't choose even your friends," Rory chuckled, kissing his cheek.

Any response he might have given was interrupted by the phone ringing. Eyeing it, he contemplated not taking it but something about the ring told him he'd better take it. Kissing Rory on her temple he went over and took the phone. "Logan Huntzberger."

"Logan."

His eyes cut to Rory. "Dad." Looking up, Rory came over as well, taking his free hand into both of hers. Smiling reassuringly at her, he spoke again. "What can I do for you?"

"You left pretty quickly," his father accused, his voice not pleased.

"I had nothing else to say and you seemed to need time to think over what you wanted to do now, considering my news," Logan answered evenly, making sure though that he still meant what he had said and wouldn't change his mind. Rory squeezed his hand warningly. Locking his eyes with hers, he just smiled. "Have you come to any conclusion or any decision?"

It was silent on the other end of the line for a long moment. "Your mother and I would be happy to welcome you and Rory to dinner at home with us, tonight," his father finally said.

Logan's eyebrows rose slightly at the seemingly change of topic and he thought about its meaning for a moment. Hesitating, he finally put the phone on speakerphone, wanting Rory to hear both sides but hoping he wouldn't regret it. "Rory and I kind of have plans already, Dad. Honor has invited us to go out for dinner tonight."

Rory's eyebrows rose up as well as she heard about the invitation, giving Logan a questioning look. He shrugged in response, telling her that he too wasn't sure yet what this was about.

"Your mother is already on the phone with her, inviting her for tonight as well," his father answered and paused for a moment, as if he wasn't too happy about saying his next words. "You're engaged to a charming and promising young woman and we'd like to have an opportunity to welcome your fiancée into our family and express our happiness at this formidable union with the granddaughter of one of our oldest friends."

Boy oh boy...

Logan's eyebrows shot through the roof, mirroring Rory's. They looked at each other for a long moment before Rory finally shrugged, giving a puzzled nod. Okay... "In that case, Dad, we of course will be happy to join you all tonight," Logan finally accepted the invitation. "Of course it will also be nice for Rory to meet my family on their best behavior for a change," he added, his voice low with warning.

"Of course," his father answered, tightly.

Logan nodded slowly. His father better keep his word. "We'll come at seven o'clock then, if that's okay."

"Perfect. We're looking forward to seeing Rory again," his father said and ended the call.

Slowly, Logan put the phone down as well and met Rory's eyes again. "And what does this mean now?" she wanted to know, mistrustfully.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Logan replied and stepped closer, taking her into his arms to rest his chin on top of her head. "But Dad wouldn't have gone through this and be so carefully polite if he plans to throw me out of the family after all. I think everything may actually just turn out to be fine."

His Ace looked up at him with a smile. "That it will anyway. We're going to be married soon, won't we?"

He smiled back at her. "Aye, that we will," he agreed wholeheartedly without saying another word, and then swept her up into his arms to carry her over to their bed.

It was high time that they finally christened their very own bed by making love as fiancé and fiancée in it.

* * *

"Ready?"

It was Rory's turn to look at the door in front of them and make a face. "No."

Laughing quietly, Logan took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as he rang the bell with his free hand.

William opened the door in record time. "Master Logan, Ms. Gilmore, please come in. Your family is already waiting in the living room," he informed them, taking their coats.

"Thank you," Logan nodded and pulled Rory after him. "Relax," he whispered into her ear just before they stepped from the hall into the living room.

"Easy for you to say," she grumbled under her breath, just for him to hear.

He flashed his two-hundred-watt-smile and stepped forward to come face to face with his entire immediate family. Keeping Rory's hand firmly in his, he smiled at them, meeting his father's eyes challenging for a brief second though. "Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Honor, Josh - I'm sure you all remember Rory?" he asked, pulling her at his side and laying an arm loosely around her waist. "My fiancée," he added, proudly and not bothering to hold back any of the pride and happiness that word evoked.

His mother came forward with outstretched arms and her most patented smile. "Of course, I was so elated when your father told me the wonderful news," she said, kissing Logan on his cheeks. "You really should have told me yourself though," she chided slightly before turning to Rory, actually giving her a hug. "Rory! I can't say how happy I am to finally be able to call you my daughter now. Logan couldn't have found a nicer girl than you," she beamed, all the happy future mother-in-law.

"Thank you," Rory replied weakly, flabbergasted, shooting Logan a look.

He could only simply shrug before his mother had to make space for his big sister barreling forward and enveloping Rory into a bone crashing hug. "She sure is right, that moron hardly deserves you," she beamed, her eyes holding nothing but joy and happiness for them.

"Hey!" Logan protested, glaring at his sister.

"Well, it's true, baby brother," Honor just said with a glance at him. "The more I'm happy that you still agreed to make him probably the luckiest guy in this world," she told Rory, turning back towards her, still beaming. "I always wanted a sister and Logan couldn't have found a better one for me," she added, more seriously.

Rory hugged her back. "Thank you," Logan heard her whisper into Honor's ear and he could hear the emotion in her low voice. For that alone he could love Honor more if he didn't already love his big sister so much.

Honor whispered something back to her that he didn't catch but Rory smiled, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. But she nodded and Honor grinned, giving space for her husband to greet them as well, followed by his father congratulating them too. And finally, making a sour face, even his grandfather stepped forward to shake his hand and give Rory a brief hug, mumbling something that sounded like a "Welcome to the family".

They continued to take their drinks, and then moved on to have dinner and by the time dessert was finished Logan still waited for the other shoe to drop. But nothing happened. They had treated his Ace with respect, his mother and Honor had eagerly talked about the wedding with Rory while he had talked about business, politics and sports with the other men and none of them had said any word that at least vaguely sounded critical.

He was starting to ask himself if perhaps his family had been replaced by some kind of extraterrestrial beings. Maybe he should check the cellar for human sized bean shells.

The evening was nearing its end when Logan finally dared to leave Rory alone with the sharks to make a quick break to the bathroom and then up to his room to go get one of his old books that he wanted to take back with him to London, hurrying as fast as he could, just not comfortable with the thought of Rory alone down there with his family. But when he stepped out of his room he came face to face with his father and took a step back at the narrowed eyes that studied him intensely.

Looked like the other shoe would drop at last.

"You really would leave everything behind for this girl, wouldn't you?" he finally asked, sounding almost surprised.

Meeting his father's eyes openly, he nodded. "Yes," he just said, calmly.

After perhaps another half minute of just staring at Logan, his father straightened. "Very well then. You're right. It seems you've finally grown up, Logan, and became your own man."

To that Logan had nothing to say so he just waited.

"I must admit, I haven't expected you to mature this much," his father continued, still not letting him out of his eyesight. "Or that you would risk your legacy in the end like this."

Logan still had nothing to say. He could explain again that the love he had for Rory changed him a lot, but then he doubted if his father could ever understand that. He never had loved in his life.

"I want you to take over our family business, Logan. I've worked so hard all my life and I cannot bear to see it reduced into shambles in the hands of someone I barely know. So I guess I'll just have to find a way to deal with this new you," his father finally said, calmly. "Starting with giving you my promise that I will not meddle with any chances your fiancée may have to work outside of the Group. Though I do think they're small. Should she find another job anyway or be chosen for the internship I agree to you relocating to the closest office we have to her place of work."

Slowly, Logan nodded. "Thank you. I'd like to have that in writing though, if you don't mind." He knew his father too well to just trust his word.

To his surprise, his father laughed humorlessly. "Of course."

"Also, I'd like it to be included in the prenup that Rory is free of any obligations to the Huntzberger Media Corporation group and in no way will be forced to work for it. Unless she wishes so, of course," he added, wanting to be absolutely clear on this point.

His father gritted his teeth. But in the end he nodded shortly. "Agreed."

"Good," Logan said and held out his hand. Hesitating only shortly, his father shook it.

Wanting to draw his hand back, Logan found himself stopped by his father's tight grip. "You got what you wanted this time, Logan. But don't expect that you threatening me with leaving will get you whatever you want from now on."

"Oh, I won't, Dad, don't worry. And for what it's worth, I am relieved that you agreed to my terms. Because I _do_ want to head the group one day," Logan told him, honestly. "Just not as much as I want Rory. Leave her, our life together and our future children alone and we won't have this discussion again. But the moment you hurt her, Dad, I'll be gone and I guarantee you, I won't come back, not for anything in the world."

His father's eyes darkened, indicating just how displeased he was, but he gave a slow nod eventually. "Understood."

Well, it wasn't a promise but it was enough for Logan for the moment. Again he tried to draw his hand back and his father let go of it this time. "Don't forget it," he told him quietly and walked away, back to his Ace.

* * *

This time Logan hadn't been able to talk Rory out of bringing him to the airport, no matter how hard he had tried.

But he had been proven right, it just made both of them more miserable, dreading the moment he would have to leave for the secured passengers-only area, both of them barely speaking, just clasping their hands tightly. Glancing at the departure information board, he finally turned to Rory, his heart heavy. "I really need to go in now."

She nodded, saying nothing. Together they walked slowly towards the security gates. Stopping a few feet away from it he put down his bag and silently enveloped her into a tight embrace. They said nothing, just savored the feel of their arms around each other.

"God, this is hard," Rory said eventually though, desperate.

He tightened his arms around her. "I'll call you with the web cam tonight, as soon as I get back to my apartment."

He felt her nod against his chin.

"Six weeks," he whispered, the desperation catching up with him as well. "It'll only be six weeks and we'll be together again."

"I know," she replied tonelessly.

Closing his eyes, he held her as tightly as he could without breaking any bones. "You should have stayed home. I don't know how I can walk away from you this time, leaving you alone like this."

She took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Like you would have had to walk away from me at home. But I'm tired of saying goodbye to you at home. You're right, this is harder, but I still prefer to do it here at the airport instead of sullying our home with yet another goodbye."

He sighed. How could you reason with such logic? You couldn't. Leaning down, he gave her a last, searing kiss that nearly brought him down to his knees. God, he hated this! "I love you," he told her hoarsely.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, her eyes starting to well up with tears.

His heart twisted painfully. "If you're going to cry now I'm not going to get on that plane."

She smiled bravely at that. "Then I'm holding my tears back until you're out of my sight."

"That's not really any better," Logan said grimly.

Shit, he just couldn't do this again.

But Rory's smile just grew a bit bigger and she gave him the softest of kisses before she gave him a little push. "Go now. Just remember that the longer you stall now, the longer it will be until we see each other again."

Picking up his bag, he shook his head. "That's not logic at all."

"Because it's Gilmore logic. One you obviously need to practice at. I expect a major improvement from you when we meet in six weeks again," Rory told him, giving him a stern look, crossing her arms in front of her.

He just found her irresistibly cute. "I'll do my best." Looking at the gates, he sighed and kissed her cheek. "Until soon, my lovely fiancée."

"Until later, my handsome fiancé," she gave back, quietly, but with a smile. "Be careful."

"You too," he nodded and then abruptly turned around and walked briskly to the first class passenger area, knowing that he would never leave if he didn't go now. At least he wouldn't have to stay in line and have to watch Rory watching him leaving this way. Looking back would diminish his chances of getting into that damn plane as well. But still, when he retrieved his bag back past the security check point, he couldn't help but look back before he headed up to his gate.

Seeing her still standing where he had left her, her arms tightly hugging herself, nearly made him go back to her, damning everything to hell. But then she must have noticed his look because her blue eyes locked with his for a long moment and then she smiled, waving. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she was still waving and smiling.

His heart heavy, he forced himself to smile and wave back, then he walked away, hating every step he took away from her.

His cell phone rang and growling, he answered it. He was not in the mood to talk with anyone now, least alone with Finn, but it would be easier to talk to him now than have him call every two minutes until Logan finally picked up. "Not now, Finn."

But for once there wasn't a flippant reply coming from his crazy best friend. "We've got her, mate. We'll make sure she gets home okay and that she isn't alone today," Finn just told him quietly.

Breathing more easily, Logan closed his eyes as he felt a wave of gratitude washing over him. He took a deep breath and let it out again. "Thanks."

"She's yours, Logan, so she's ours as well and you know that we always take care of our own," Finn said seriously. "Now I better see to it that Colin doesn't hog all of her attention just for himself. And remember, there's no better best man out there than me," he added, back to his carefree and crazy self.

Despite himself, Logan laughed. "We'll see. You, Colin and Josh are pretty much even at the moment. Doyle's catching up though."

"Mate," Finn whined, disgusted and then disconnected the call.

Chuckling, Logan turned off his phone, looking out the windows of the lounge. They'd take good care of her, he knew that, and he was extremely grateful for that. He leaned his head against the cold glass and closed his eyes. Still... leaving her this time nearly tore him apart and he honestly didn't know how he could ever do this again, let alone in seven weeks again.

He simply couldn't stand being without her anymore.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Uff... Sorry this took so long, but it was more complicated and hard to write than I had thought in the beginning. Hope you liked what came out of it though. Again, thank you so much for your many reviews, and staying loyal to this little story here. As for__ the family names... It's pretty often practiced here in Switzerland for the man to take on the name of his wife as well, at least on paper, and I like that custom... I hope I'll have the next chapter sometime soon but nevertheless stay tuned for a bit good old-fashioned Valentine's craziness.)_


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